Nanosponge-Based Composite Gel Polymer Electrolyte for Safer Li-O Batteries.

Li-O batteries represent a promising rechargeable battery candidate to answer the energy challenges our world is facing, thanks to their ultrahigh theoretical energy density. However, the poor cycling stability of the Li-O system and, overall, important safety issues due to the formation of Li dendrites, combined with the use of organic liquid electrolytes and O cross-over, inhibit their practical applications. As a solution to these various issues, we propose a composite gel polymer electrolyte consisting of a highly cross-linked polymer matrix, containing a dextrin-based nanosponge and activated with a liquid electrolyte.