Room temperature cross-linkable gel polymer electrolytes for lithium ion batteries by in situ cationic polymerization of divinyl ether

We demonstrated room temperature cross-linkable gel polymer electrolytes (GPE) prepared by in situ cationic polymerization of tri(ethylene glycol) divinyl ether (TEGDVE) with LIBF4 that yields protonic acid and Lewis acid as an acidic initiating system by the reaction with water as an impurity in the liquid electrolyte. FTIR analysis reveals that TEGDVE in the liquid electrolyte is successfully polymerized into gel polymer electrolyte. The resulting gel polymer electrolyte showed promising electrochemical properties including ionic conductivity, wide range in working potential and stable cycle performance as a lithium ion conducting medium.