New polymer electrolyte based on (PVA–PAN) blend for Li-ion battery applications

A polymer blend electrolyte based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) was prepared by a simple solvent casting technique in different compositions. The ionic conductivity of polymer blend electrolytes was investigated by varying the PAN content in the PVA matrix. The ionic conductivity of polymer blend electrolyte increased with the increase of PAN content. The effect of lithium salt concentrations was also studied for the polymer blend electrolyte of high ionic conductivity system. A maximum ionic conductivity of 3.76×10⁻³ S/cm was obtained in 3 M LiClO₄ electrolyte solution. The effect of ionic conductivity of polymer blend electrolyte was measured by varying the temperature ranging from 298 to 353 K. Linear sweep voltammetry and DC polarization studies were carried out to find out the stability and lithium transference number of the polymer blend electrolyte. Finally, a prototype cell was assembled with graphite as anode, LiMn₂O₄ as cathode, and polymer blend electrolyte as the electrolyte as well as separator, which showed good compatibility and electrochemical stability up to 4.7 V.