Environmental Impact Assessment of Solid Polymer Electrolytes for Solid-State Lithium Batteries

Solid-state batteries play a pivotal role in the next-generation batteries as they satisfy the stringent safety requirements for stationary or electric vehicle applications. Notable efforts are devoted to the competitive design of solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) acting as both the electrolyte and the separator. Although particular efforts to attain acceptable ionic conductivities and wide electrochemical stability widows are carried out, the environmental sustainability is largely neglected. To address this gap, here the cradle-to-gate environmental impacts of the most representative SPEs using life cycle assessment (LCA) are quantified. Raw material extraction and electrolyte fabrication are considered. Global warming potential values of 0.37-10.64 kg CO2 equiv. g(electrolyte) (-1) are achieved, where PEO/LiTFSI presents the lower environmental burdens. A minor role of the polymer fraction on the total impacts is observed, with a maximum CO2 footprint share of 0.61%. Following ecodesign approaches, a sensitivity analysis is performed to simulate industrial-scale fabrication processes and explore environmentally friendlier scenarios. The electrochemical performance of SPEs is further analyzed into Li/LiFePO4 solid lithium metal battery cell configuration. Overall, these results are aimed to guide the ecologically sustainable design of SPEs and facilitate the implementation of next-generation sustainable batteries.