Ion-Conductive Properties of a Polymer Electrolyte Based on Ethylene Carbonate/Ethylene Oxide Random Copolymer

A random copolymer of ethylene oxide with CO2, namely, poly(ethylene carbonate/ethylene oxide) (P(EC/EO)), has been synthesized as a novel candidate for polymer electrolytes. Electrolyte composed of P(EC/EO) and lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide has an ionic conductivity of 0.48 mS cm−1 and a Li transference number (t+) of 0.66 at 60 °C. To study ion-conductive behavior of P(EC/EO)-based electrolytes, the Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) technique is used to analyze the interactions between Li+ and functional groups of the copolymer. The carbonate groups may interact preferentially with Li+ rather than the ether groups in P(EC/EO). This study suggests that copolymerization of carbonate and flexible ether units can realize both high conductivity and t+ for polymer electrolytes. High-performance P(EC/EO) electrolyte is expected to be a candidate material for use in all-solid-state batteries.