Effect of NaAlO 2 Nanofiller on the Electrochemical Properties of PVDF‐HFP‐Based Gel Polymer Electrolytes for Sodium‐Ion Battery Applications
Awanish Gupta, Yougesh Sharma, Vinita Patel, Pankaj Kumar, Suraj Kalia, Shivani Varshney, ShaluABSTRACT
In this study, nanocomposite gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) based on poly(vinylidene fluoride‐co‐hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF‐HFP) were developed by incorporating NaAlO 2 as an active inorganic filler, along with a NaBF 4– BMIMBF 4 ionic liquid system. Porous GPE membranes were fabricated via a phase inversion technique to achieve enhanced ion transport pathways. The structural, morphological, and electrochemical properties of the prepared electrolytes were systematically investigated using characterization techniques XRD, SEM, FTIR, EIS, and ESW. The incorporation of NaAlO 2 significantly improved the ionic conductivity, reaching 3.0 × 10 −4 S cm −1 , along with an expanded electrochemical stability window of up to 4.0 V. When employed in a sodium‐ion battery configuration, the optimized GPE exhibited a stable discharge capacity of approximately 120 mAh g −1 over 120 charge–discharge cycles, demonstrating excellent cycling stability. These results highlight that the strategic incorporation of a small amount of inorganic filler can effectively enhance the overall electrochemical performance of PVDF‐HFP‐based GPE, making them promising candidates for advanced sodium‐ion battery applications.