Poly(lactic acid) - PLA as sustainable building block to enhance structural stability and performance of PEO-based electrolytes
Abstract
In the framework of sustainable solid polymer electrolyte development, here we investigate poly(lactic acid) (PLA) as a bio-derived reinforcing component for PEO-based electrolytes, exploiting both enantiopure PLA blocks (namely, PLLA as the L-form, and PDLA as the D-form) and their mix (with consequent stereocomplex formation). Two PLA-PEO-PLA triblock copolymers, specifically PLLA-PEO-PLLA and PDLA-PEO-PDLA, were synthesized by ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of lactides, whereas the stereocomplex supramolecular structure was obtained by mixing the two copolymers in solution. The resulting copolymers were dry-blended with high molecular weight PEO and LiTFSI and then processed into self-standing SPEs by hot-pressing, thus enabling a solvent-free membrane fabrication procedure. The electrochemical performance benefits from the combined effect of PLA-containing copolymers and solvent-free, time/energy saving UV-induced crosslinking. Actually, introducing PLA and, particularly, stereocomplex PLA in the UV-cured SPEs, led to improved electrochemical stability while maintaining effective ion transport in PEO-based SPEs. Thorough physicochemical characterization is carried out by NMR, GPC, DSC, TGA, and XRD, while results of EIS, chronoamperometry, and galvanostatic Li plating/stripping tests support their potential use as polymer electrolytes for solid-state lithium metal batteries. In this respect, full cells with a LiFePO 4 cathode were assembled and tested to assess the compatibility of the developed SPEs with commercial cathodes and Li-metal anodes.
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BibTeX
@article{jouve2026polylactic,
title = {{Poly(lactic acid) - PLA as sustainable building block to enhance structural stability and performance of PEO-based electrolytes}},
author = {Andrea Jouve and Leonardo Balducci and Matteo Gastaldi and Marco Recalcati and Hamideh Darjazi and Giuseppina Meligrana and Mattia Bartoli and Alessandro Piovano and Giuseppe Elia and Claudio Gerbaldi},
journal = {Journal of Energy Storage},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.est.2026.124743},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05786355v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Poly(lactic acid) - PLA as sustainable building block to enhance structural stability and performance of PEO-based electrolytes
AU - Andrea Jouve
AU - Leonardo Balducci
AU - Matteo Gastaldi
AU - Marco Recalcati
AU - Hamideh Darjazi
AU - Giuseppina Meligrana
AU - Mattia Bartoli
AU - Alessandro Piovano
AU - Giuseppe Elia
AU - Claudio Gerbaldi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/08
JO - Journal of Energy Storage
DO - 10.1016/j.est.2026.124743
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05786355v1
AB - In the framework of sustainable solid polymer electrolyte development, here we investigate poly(lactic acid) (PLA) as a bio-derived reinforcing component for PEO-based electrolytes, exploiting both enantiopure PLA blocks (namely, PLLA as the L-form, and PDLA as the D-form) and their mix (with consequent stereocomplex formation). Two PLA-PEO-PLA triblock copolymers, specifically PLLA-PEO-PLLA and PDLA-PEO-PDLA, were synthesized by ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of lactides, whereas the stereocomplex supramolecular structure was obtained by mixing the two copolymers in solution. The resulting copolymers were dry-blended with high molecular weight PEO and LiTFSI and then processed into self-standing SPEs by hot-pressing, thus enabling a solvent-free membrane fabrication procedure. The electrochemical performance benefits from the combined effect of PLA-containing copolymers and solvent-free, time/energy saving UV-induced crosslinking. Actually, introducing PLA and, particularly, stereocomplex PLA in the UV-cured SPEs, led to improved electrochemical stability while maintaining effective ion transport in PEO-based SPEs. Thorough physicochemical characterization is carried out by NMR, GPC, DSC, TGA, and XRD, while results of EIS, chronoamperometry, and galvanostatic Li plating/stripping tests support their potential use as polymer electrolytes for solid-state lithium metal batteries. In this respect, full cells with a LiFePO 4 cathode were assembled and tested to assess the compatibility of the developed SPEs with commercial cathodes and Li-metal anodes.
SN - 2352-152X
SN - 2352-1538
ER -