An organic/inorganic hybrid nanocomposite, poly(methyl methacrylate) grafted titanium dioxide
(PMMA-g-TiO2), is synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The hybrid nanocomposites
are incorporated into poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVdF) membranes during the electrospinning
process to fabricate a composite nanofibrous membrane. Then the resultant fibrous polymer
electrolyte is obtained by immersing the composite membrane into liquid electrolyte. FTIR, TEM, TGA,
GPC, SEM, XRD, and DSC are used to characterize the structure, morphology and thermal properties of
PMMA-g-TiO2 hybrid nanocomposite and the composite nanofibrous membrane. The composite nanofibrous
membrane is proven to be a good absorbent for the liquid electrolyte, and it exhibits a high
electrolyte uptake and a high electrolyte retention ratio. The incorporation of PMMA-g-TiO2 into the
nanofibrous membrane inhibits the crystallization of PVdF during the solidification process and improves
the ionic conductivity of the fibrous polymer electrolyte from 2.51 103 to 2.95 103 S cm1 at 20 C.
The electrochemical stability window of the polymer electrolyte is also enhanced due to the presence of
PMMA-g-TiO2.