A porous polyacrylonitrile (PAN) membrane was prepared and characterized. Gel polymer electrolytes were prepared from these porous membranes via soaking in an organic electrolyte solution. They showed high ionic conductivity (2.8 x 10(-3) S/cm) at room temperature and sufficient electrochemical stability over 5.0 V that allowed application in lithium-ion polymer batteries. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.