Solvent-dependent electrochemical performance of UPyMA–PETEA supramolecular gel polymer electrolytes for lithium–oxygen batteries
- 1Materials Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering and Science, Shibaura Institute of Technology Toyosu, Koto-Ku Tokyo 135-8548 Japan
- 2College of Engineering, Shibaura Institute of Technology Toyosu, Koto-Ku Tokyo 135-8548 Japan
Abstract
Supramolecular gel polymer electrolytes (SGPEs) based on UPyMA and PETEA were prepared with 1 M LiTFSI and 10 wt% TTE using sulfolane, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMA), or N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) as the solvent. Structural characterization supported polymer formation and retention of the UPy hydrogen-bonding motifs. The solvent-dependent physicochemical and electrochemical characteristics of the formulations were compared by thermal analysis, viscosity measurements, electrochemical characterization, and Li–O2 cell testing. Among the tested SGPEs, the sulfolane-based formulation exhibited the highest apparent anodic oxidation onset, approximately 5.5 V vs. Li/Li+ under the employed linear-sweep voltammetry conditions. At 0.05 mA cm−2, the DMSO-based cell delivered a full-discharge capacity of 3135 mAh g−1, compared with 2133 mAh g−1 for the sulfolane-based cell. In contrast, under capacity-limited cycling at 500 mAh g−1, the sulfolane-based cell showed the longest cycling among the tested formulations, with the reported trace maintaining discharge capacities above 400 mAh g−1 through 30 cycles. Post-cycling FE-SEM and XRD revealed cathode deposits and changes in detectable crystalline products between discharge and charge. These results demonstrate divergent solvent-dependent performance within a common SGPE framework: DMSO favored full-discharge capacity, whereas sulfolane favored extended capacity-limited cycling under the tested conditions. The findings highlight that maximizing discharge capacity and sustaining repeated cycling represent distinct considerations in solvent selection for Li–O2 SGPEs.
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BibTeX
@article{aizawa2026solventdependent,
title = {{Solvent-dependent electrochemical performance of UPyMA–PETEA supramolecular gel polymer electrolytes for lithium–oxygen batteries}},
author = {Toshiki Aizawa and Toshiki Iwato and Hayato Takada and Kentaro Ogihara and Takahiro Ishizaki},
journal = {RSC advances},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1039/d6ra07677g},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13657200},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Solvent-dependent electrochemical performance of UPyMA–PETEA supramolecular gel polymer electrolytes for lithium–oxygen batteries
AU - Toshiki Aizawa
AU - Toshiki Iwato
AU - Hayato Takada
AU - Kentaro Ogihara
AU - Takahiro Ishizaki
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/12
JO - RSC advances
DO - 10.1039/d6ra07677g
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13657200
AB - Supramolecular gel polymer electrolytes (SGPEs) based on UPyMA and PETEA were prepared with 1 M LiTFSI and 10 wt% TTE using sulfolane, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMA), or N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) as the solvent. Structural characterization supported polymer formation and retention of the UPy hydrogen-bonding motifs. The solvent-dependent physicochemical and electrochemical characteristics of the formulations were compared by thermal analysis, viscosity measurements, electrochemical characterization, and Li–O2 cell testing. Among the tested SGPEs, the sulfolane-based formulation exhibited the highest apparent anodic oxidation onset, approximately 5.5 V vs. Li/Li+ under the employed linear-sweep voltammetry conditions. At 0.05 mA cm−2, the DMSO-based cell delivered a full-discharge capacity of 3135 mAh g−1, compared with 2133 mAh g−1 for the sulfolane-based cell. In contrast, under capacity-limited cycling at 500 mAh g−1, the sulfolane-based cell showed the longest cycling among the tested formulations, with the reported trace maintaining discharge capacities above 400 mAh g−1 through 30 cycles. Post-cycling FE-SEM and XRD revealed cathode deposits and changes in detectable crystalline products between discharge and charge. These results demonstrate divergent solvent-dependent performance within a common SGPE framework: DMSO favored full-discharge capacity, whereas sulfolane favored extended capacity-limited cycling under the tested conditions. The findings highlight that maximizing discharge capacity and sustaining repeated cycling represent distinct considerations in solvent selection for Li–O2 SGPEs.
SN - 2046-2069
ER -