Self-Healing Polymer Electrolytes used in Lithium-Ion Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries, as one of the most advanced and suitable rechargeable batteries, have received considerable attention in recent years. Polymer electrolytes are considered as one of the main components of the battery and good substitute for liquid electrolytes in the next generations of batteries. The polymer electrolytes used in the battery may be damaged or lose performance due to the alternating movement of ions or physical damage. To avoid the damages caused by this phenomenon, the use of self-healing polymer electrolytes is suggested as a appropriate solution. The ability of self-healing in the polymer electrolytes makes them start to repair themselves as soon as a craze or crack occurs on their surface, without the need for any stimulus, and even after repair, they are able to recover all their properties. This ability comes from the microstructure and type of chemical bonds of self-healing polymers. In general, the self-healing polymer electrolytes used in batteries are divided into two main categories: polymer electrolytes based on reversible covalent bonds, and polymer electrolytes based on non-covalent supramolecular bond type. Considering the importance of this issue, in this research, a review of self-healing polymer electrolytes in the next generation of lithium batteries will be done.