Preparation and characterization of blend polymer electrolyte film based on poly(vinyl alcohol)-poly(acrylonitrile)/MgCl<Subscript>2</Subscript> for energy storage devices

The development of magnesium electrolytes for battery applications has been the demand for electrochemical devices. To meet such demand, in this work solid blend polymer electrolytes were prepared using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) (92.5PVA:7.5PAN) as host polymer, magnesium chloride (MgCl₂) of different molar mass percentage (m.m.%) (0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, and 0.6%) as salt and dimethylformamide (DMF) as solvent. Structural, vibrational, thermal, electrical, and electrochemical properties of the prepared electrolytes were investigated using different techniques such as X-ray diffraction pattern, FTIR spectroscopy analysis, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), AC impedance measurement, and transference number measurement. X-ray diffraction studies confirm the minimum volume fraction of crystalline phase for the polymer electrolyte with 0.5 m.m.% of MgCl₂. FTIR confirms the complex formation between host polymer and salt. DSC analysis proves the thermal transition of the prepared films are affected by salt concentration. The optimized material with 0.5 m.m.% of MgCl₂ offers a maximum electrical conductivity of 1.01 × 10^?3 S cm^?1 at room temperature. The Mg²⁺ ion conduction in the blend polymer electrolyte is confirmed from transference number measurement. Electrochemical analysis demonstrates the promising characteristic of these polymer films suitable as electrolytes for primary magnesium batteries. Output potential and discharge characteristics have been analyzed for primary magnesium battery which is constructed using optimized conducting electrolyte.     

Electrochemical characterization of ionic liquid based gel polymer electrolyte for lithium battery application

High molecular weight polymer poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVdF-HFP), ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (EMIMFSI), and salt lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI)-based free-standing and conducting ionic liquid-based gel polymer electrolytes (ILGPE) have been prepared by solution cast method. Thermal, electrical, and electrochemical properties of 80 wt% IL containing gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) are investigated by thermogravimetric (TGA), impedance spectroscopy, linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The 80 wt% IL containing GPE shows good thermal stability (~?200 °C), ionic conductivity (6.42?×?10^?4 S cm^?1), lithium ion conductivity (1.40?×?10^?4 S cm^?1 at 30 °C), and wide electrochemical stability window (~?4.10 V versus Li/Li⁺ at 30 °C). Furthermore, the surface of LiFePO₄ cathode material was modified by graphene oxide, with smooth and uniform coating layer, as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and with element content, as confirmed by energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrum. The graphene oxide-coated LiFePO₄ cathode shows improved electrochemical performance with a good charge-discharge capacity and cyclic stability up to 50 cycles at 1C rate, as compared with the without coated LiFePO₄. At 30 °C, the discharge capacity reaches a maximum value of 104.50 and 95.0 mAh g^?1 for graphene oxide-coated LiFePO₄ and without coated LiFePO₄ at 1C rate respectively. These results indicated improved electrochemical performance of pristine LiFePO₄ cathode after coating with graphene oxide.     

NH<Subscript>4</Subscript>NO<Subscript>3</Subscript> as charge carrier contributor in glycerolized potato starch-methyl cellulose blend-based polymer electrolyte and the application in electrochemical double-layer capacitor

Potato starch (PS)-methyl cellulose (MC) blend solid biopolymer electrolytes infused with ammonium nitrate (NH₄NO₃) and glycerol as plasticizer are made via the solution cast technique. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy indicates that NH₄NO₃ has interacted with the polymer blend host. The addition of 40 wt% glycerol in the highest conducting plasticizer free electrolyte has improved the conductivity to the order of ～10^?3 S cm^?1. The thermal stability of the electrolytes is identified by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Result from X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis shows that the electrolyte with maximum conductivity value has the lowest degree of crystallinity. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis reveals that the highest conducting plasticized electrolyte possesses the lowest glass transition temperature (T _g) of ?27.5 °C. Conductivity trend is further verified by dielectric analysis. Transference numbers of ion (t _ion) and electron (t _e) for the highest conducting electrolyte are identified to be 0.98 and 0.02, respectively, confirming that ions are the dominant charge carriers. Linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) evaluates that the potential window for the electrolyte is 1.88 V. The internal resistance of the electrochemical double-layer capacitor (EDLC) is between 29 and 64 Ω. From the charged-discharged measurement, the value of C _s is 31 F g^?1. The EDLC is stable over 1000 cycles.     

Effect of Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> nanofiller on the electrical,thermal and structural properties of PEO:PPG based nanocomposite polymer electrolyte

A new series of nanocomposite polymer electrolyte (NCPE) system comprising of polyethylene oxide (PEO) and polypropylene glycol (PPG) as blended polymer host, zinc trifluoromethanesulfonate [Zn(CF₃SO₃)₂] as dopant salt and nanocrystalline alumina [Al₂O₃] as filler was prepared by solution casting technique. The present system consisting of five different compositions of 87.5 wt% (PEO:PPG)–12.5 wt% Zn(CF₃SO₃)₂ + x wt% Al₂O₃ [where x = 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9, respectively] has been thoroughly characterized by various analytical techniques such as electrical impedance spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopic (SEM) analysis and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV). The maximum room temperature ionic conductivity exhibited by the NCPE was found to be 2.1 × 10^?4 S cm^?1 for 3 wt% loading of Al₂O₃ which is an order higher than that of the optimized filler-free zinc salt doped polymer electrolyte system at 298 K. The evidence of a decrease in the degree of crystallinity responsible for the enhanced conductivity was revealed by the XRD data and further confirmed by DSC and SEM results. Moreover, the electrochemical stability window of the highly conducting electrolyte matrix has been experimentally determined by linear sweep voltammetry and found to be 3.6 V which is fairly adequate for the construction of zinc primary batteries as well as zinc-based rechargeable batteries at ambient conditions.     

Effect of ZnO filler concentration on the conductivity, structure and morphology of PVdF-HFP nanocomposite solid polymer electrolyte for lithium battery application

The polyvinylidene difluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene (PVdF-HFP) nanocomposite solid polymer electrolyte films were developed by solution-casting method. PVdF-HFP as a polymer host, lithium perchlorate (LiClO₄) as a salt for lithium ion, and ZnO nanoparticles as fillers were used to form the nanocomposite solid polymer electrolyte films. All the prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry, and scanning electron microscopy. The XRD patterns of the pure and nanocomposite solid polymer electrolyte samples indicate the formation of amorphous phase with 17.5 wt.% of lithium salt and ZnO fillers up to 3 wt.%. The total conductivity and lithium ion transference number were studied at room temperature by using impedance spectroscopy and Wagner’s polarization methods. The highest conductivity at room temperature for solid polymer electrolyte and nanocomposite solid polymer electrolyte are found to be 3.208?×?10^?4 and 1.043?×?10^?3 S/cm, respectively. Similarly, the lithium ion transference number is evaluated for the optimized solid polymer electrolyte and nanocomposite solid polymer electrolyte films with 3 wt.% of ZnO fillers. And it is found that ionic transference number could be enhanced from 92 to 95 % with the addition of nanosized ZnO fillers to the solid polymer electrolyte.     

Tamarind seed polysaccharide biopolymer membrane for lithium-ion conducting battery

Solid biopolymers have gained much attention in the development of polymer electrolytes due to its biocompatibility, film-forming nature, and non-toxicity. In the present work, biopolymer membrane has been prepared using tamarind seed polysaccharide (TSP) as host polymer and various concentrations of lithium chloride (LiCl) salt as dopant by solution casting technique. The prepared biopolymer electrolyte has been characterized by XRD, FTIR, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis, AC impedance spectroscopy analysis, and transference number measurement. XRD analysis has been done to investigate the amorphous/crystalline nature of the polymer membrane. The highest amorphous nature has been found for 1 g of TSP with 0.4 g LiCl. FTIR spectrum analysis confirms the complex formation between TSP biopolymer with LiCl. From AC impedance conductivity analysis, the maximum ionic conductivity is of the order of 6.7?×?10^?3 S cm^?1 at room temperature for 1 g TSP with 0.4 g LiCl, whereas for pure TSP biopolymer membrane, the ionic conductivity is of the order of 5.48?×?10^?7 S cm^?1. The glass transition temperature for the highest conducting biopolymer membrane for the composition of 1 g TSP: 0.4 g LiCl has been found to be 44.25 °C using the DSC technique. Employing the maximum conducting biopolymer membrane, a lithium-ion conducting battery has been fabricated and its discharge characteristics have been studied.     

A piperidinium-based ester-functionalized ionic liquid as electrolytes in Li/LiFePO<Subscript>4</Subscript> batteries

A new functionalized ionic liquid (IL) based on cyclic quaternary ammonium cations with ester group and bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ([TFSI]^?) anion, namely, N-methyl-N-methoxycarbonylpiperidinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ([MMOCPip][TFSI]), was synthesized and characterized. Physical and electrochemical properties, including Li-ion transference number, ionic conductivity, and electrochemical stability, were investigated. The electrochemical window of [MMOCPip][TFSI] was 6 V, which was wide enough to be used as a common electrolyte material. The Li-ion transference number of this IL electrolyte containing 0.1 M LiTFSI was 0.56. The half-cell tests indicated that the [MMOCPip][TFSI] obviously improved the cyclability of a Li/LiFePO₄ cell. For the Li/LiFePO₄ half-cells, after 20 cycles at room temperature at 0.1 C, the discharge capacity was 109.7 mAh g^?1 with 98.7% capacity retention in the [MMOCPip][TFSI]/0.1 M LiTFSI electrolyte. The good electrochemical performance demonstrated that the [MMOCPip][TFSI] could be used as electrolyte for lithium-ion batteries.     

Incorporation of NH<Subscript>4</Subscript>NO<Subscript>3</Subscript> into MC-PVA blend-based polymer to prepare proton-conducting polymer electrolyte films

Proton-conducting solid polymer blend electrolytes based on methylcellulose-polyvinyl alcohol:ammonium nitrate (MC-PVA:NH₄NO₃) were prepared by the solution cast technique. The structural and electrical properties of the samples were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and electrical impedance (EI) spectroscopy. The shifting and change in the intensity of FTIR bands of the electrolyte samples confirm the complex formation between the MC-PVA polymer blend and the NH₄NO₃ added salt. The observed broadening in the XRD pattern of the doped samples reveals the increase of the amorphous fraction of polymer electrolyte samples. The increase in electrical conductivity of polymer electrolyte samples with increasing salt concentration attributed to the formation of charge-transfer complexes, and to increase in the amorphous domains. A maximum ionic conductivity of about 7.39 × 10^?5 S cm^?1 was achieved at room temperature for the sample incorporating 20 wt% of NH₄NO₃. The DC conductivity of the present polymer system exhibits Arrhenius-type dependence with temperature. The decrease in the values of activation energies with increasing salt concentration indicates the ease mobility of ions. The decrease in dielectric constant with increasing frequency was observed at all temperatures. Optical properties such as absorption edge, optical band gap, and tail of localized state were estimated for polymer blend and their electrolyte films. It was found that the optical band gap values shifted towards lower photon energy from 6.06 to 4.75 eV by altering the NH₄NO₃ salt content.     

Preparation and characterization of cellulose acetate and lithium nitrate for advanced electrochemical devices

Environmental research has the objective of finding solutions to environmental degradation. To this aim, an optimized solid bio-polymer electrolyte (BPE) based on cellulose acetate (CA) with lithium nitrate (LiNO₃) has been developed to achieve the possible energy storage Li-ion batteries. CA is one of the natural polymers with very good film forming capacity. The widespread use of CA is attributed to the availability of renewable resources, non-toxic nature, low cost, and bio-compatible material. Here, we demonstrate an extremely simplest process of solution-casting technique for the development of BPE by incorporating various LiNO₃ compositions (wt.%) with bio-polymer material CA. The crystalline nature of the CA with LiNO₃ has been analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurement. The bio-polymer-salt complex formation and the biopolymer-proton interactions have been investigated through Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy has been used to examine the ionic conductivity of the BPEs at room temperature (303 K). The highest ionic conductivity of 1.93 × 10^?3S/cm has been achieved for 50CA/50LiNO₃ polymer electrolyte. Electrochemical studies show that highest BPE has high electrochemical stability windows. The conducting species is found to be Li⁺ ion, which has been confirmed by transference number measurement (TNM). Primary lithium battery with discharge profile has been constructed for 50CA/50LiNO₃. This research will help to identify a new lithium ion membrane for battery technology and other electrochemical device applications.     

Influence of nano-sized fumed silica on physicochemical and electrochemical properties of cellulose derivatives-ionic liquid biopolymer electrolytes

Nanocomposite biopolymer electrolyte was prepared by solution-casting technique. Carboxymethyl cellulose from kenaf bast fibre, ammonium acetate, (1-butyl)trimethyl ammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ionic liquid and silica nanofiller was used to prepare the biopolymer electrolyte samples. The films were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transference number measurement and linear sweep voltammetry. The interactions of doping salt, ionic liquid and inorganic nanofiller with the host biopolymer were confirmed by FTIR study. The highest conductivity achieved was 8.63 × 10^?3 S cm^?1 by the incorporation of 1 wt% of SiO₂ at ambient temperature. The electrochemical stability of the highest conducting sample was stable up to 3.4 V, and the ion transference number in the film was 0.99.     

Effect of nano-dispersed silica on the ion-conducting behavior of PMMA-based polymer gel electrolytes containing LiPF<Subscript>6</Subscript>

Nano-sized silica poly(methylmethacrylate)-based gel electrolyte containing lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF₆) was synthesized by using different binary solvent mixture (propylene carbonate(PC) and dimethylformamide (DMF) in different volume ratio). Role of DMF in PC: Higher DMF content in PC-based electrolyte shows higher ionic conductivity at all polymer content and at wide temperature regions (10-70 °C). A small increment in ionic conductivity at lower content of polymer in liquid/gel electrolyte was observed and having maximum conductivity of 13.12 mS/cm at 25 °C. Stability (mechanically and electrically), viscosity and ionic conductivity of gel electrolytes were improved with the addition of nano-sized silica at ambient temperature. Ionic conductivity of nano-sized silica-based gel electrolyte does not change much over 5^o–70 °C temperature range and is factor-wise only which make indispensable in different electrochemical devices. Also polymer gel electrolyte membranes as such and with dispersed silica nano-particles were characterized through scanning electron microscope to study the morphology of gel matrix.     

Biopolymeric electrolyte based on glycerolized methyl cellulose with NH<Subscript>4</Subscript>Br as proton source and potential application in EDLC

In the present work, biopolymer electrolyte films based on MC doped with NH₄Br salt and plasticized with glycerol were prepared by solution casting method. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis confirms the interaction between MC, NH₄Br, and glycerol. X-ray diffraction (XRD) explains that the enhancement of conductivity is affected by the degree of crystallinity. This result is verified by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). For unplasticized system, sample containing 25 wt% of NH₄Br possesses the highest ionic conductivity of (1.89 ± 0.05) × 10^?4 S cm^?1. The addition of 30 wt% glycerol increases the conductivity value up to (1.67 ± 0.04) × 10^?3 S cm^?1. The conduction mechanism was best presented by the correlated barrier hopping (CBH) model. The linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) result confirms the suitability of the highest conducting electrolyte to be employed in the fabrication of electrochemical double layer capacitor (EDLC).     

Stability of Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>/Al in ionic liquid BMI.BF<Subscript>4</Subscript>/γ-butyrolactone electrolytes for use in electrolytic capacitors

The stability of aluminium oxide has been investigated in mixtures of ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (BMI.BF₄) and γ-butyrolactone (GBL) for application as the impregnation electrolyte of aluminium electrolytic capacitors. Ionic conductivity measurements of BMI.BF₄/GBL electrolytes at different temperatures were performed, as well as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry experiments. The results show that the highest ionic conductivity value of 40 mS cm^?1 (70 °C) is achieved in electrolyte x _BMI.BF4 = 0.2. The total capacitance values, associated with the dielectric oxides, vary between 1 and 8 μF cm^?2 for all studied electrolytes after 30 days of immersion. The polarization resistance and total capacitance of the electrolyte/Al₂O₃/Al system decrease slightly with immersion time, showing the stability of Al₂O₃/Al in ionic liquid BMI.BF₄/GBL electrolytes.     

离子液体凝胶聚合物电解质PP13TFSI-LiTFSI-P(VdF-HFP)的电化学性能 (cited: 1)

采用溶液浇铸法将N-甲基-N-丙基哌啶二(三氟甲基磺)亚胺(PP13TFSI)、二(三氟甲基磺)亚胺锂与偏氟乙烯-六氟丙烯共聚物(P(VdF-HFP))混合制备离子液体凝胶聚合物电解质(ILGPEs). 通过扫描电子显微镜观察发现,这种离子液体凝胶聚合物电解质由于液体相的均匀分布而具有疏松的结构. 采用电化学阻抗、计时电流法、线性扫描伏安法测试了电解质的离子电导率、锂离子迁移数和电化学窗口. 室温下离子液体凝胶聚合物电解质的离子电导率和锂离子迁移数分别是0.79 mS/cm和0.71,电化学窗口为0～5.1 Vvs. Li⁺/Li. 电池性能测试表明,这种离子液体凝胶聚合物电解质在Li/LiFePO₄电池中是稳定的,放电容量在30、75和150mA/g倍率下分别为135、117和100 mAh/g,电池经100个循环后容量保持在100%而几乎没有衰减.     

The effect of LiCF<Subscript>3</Subscript>SO<Subscript>3</Subscript> on the complexation with potato starch-chitosan blend polymer electrolytes

This work examines the effect of lithium trifluoromethanesulfonate (LiCF₃SO₃) and glycerol on the conductivity and dielectric properties of potato starch-chitosan blend-based electrolytes. The electrolytes are prepared via solution cast technique. From X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, the blend of 50 wt.% starch and 50 wt.% chitosan is found to be the most amorphous blend. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy studies show the interaction between the electrolyte materials. The room temperature conductivity of pure starch-chitosan film is found to be (2.85 ± 1.31) × 10^?10 S cm^?1. The incorporation of 45 wt.% LiCF₃SO₃ increases the conductivity to (7.65 ± 2.27) × 10^?5 S cm^?1. Further conductivity enhancement up to (1.32 ± 0.35) × 10^?3 S cm^?1 has been observed on addition of 30 wt.% glycerol. This trend in conductivity is verified by XRD and dielectric analysis. The temperature dependence of conductivity of all electrolytes are Arrhenian.     

Effect of ethylene carbonate plasticizer on agar-agar: NH<Subscript>4</Subscript>Br-based solid polymer electrolytes

Proton-conducting polymer electrolytes based on biopolymer, agar-agar as the polymer host, ammonium bromide (NH₄Br) as the salt and ethylene carbonate (EC) as the plasticizer have been prepared by solution casting technique with dimethylformamide as solvent. Addition of NH₄Br and EC with the biopolymer resulted in an increase in the ionic conductivity of polymer electrolyte. EC was added to increase the degree of salt dissociation and also ionic mobility. The highest ionic conductivity achieved at room temperature was for 50 wt% agar/50 wt% NH₄Br/0.3% EC with the conductivity 3.73?×?10^?4 S cm^?1. The conductivity of the polymer electrolyte increases with the increase in amount of plasticizer. The frequency-dependent conductivity, dielectric permittivity (ε′) and modulus (M′) studies were carried out.     

Nanofiber membrane based on ionic liquids as high-performance polymer electrolyte for sodium electrochemical device

Composite nanofibrous electrolyte membranes (CFEM) of poly(vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene) P(VdF-HFP)-1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (BMIMBF₄) and its NaSCN are electrospun as nanofibrous membranes. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images clearly inform that electrospun CFEM and CFEM–NaSCN with average fiber diameters of 50–200 nm have interconnected multifibrous layers with ultrafine porous structures. They exhibited a high uptake of the electrolyte solution (370–880 %). The polymer electrolytes have decreased crystalline, which is advantage to the increase in ionic conductivity. In addition, polymer electrolytes also are prepared by swelling nanofibre into blend of sodium salt and BMIMBF₄. CFEM obtained 15 % BMIMBF₄ exhibited higher ionic conductivity maximum of 5.6?×?10^?5 S cm^?1 at room temperature, and the conductive model of CFEM–NaSCN electrolyte answer for Arrhenius function. CFEM–NaSCN electrolyte showed a high electrochemical window of above 4.5 V, which is higher than electrospun pure P(VdF-HFP) without BMIMBF₄ or BMIMBF₄–NaSCN. With these improved performance characteristics, CFEM electrolyte and CFEM–NaSCN electrolyte will be found its suitability as polymer electrolyte for high-performance rechargeable batteries and super capacitor.     

LiClO4-doped plasticized chitosan and poly(ethylene glycol) blend as biodegradable polymer electrolyte for supercapacitors

Biodegradable polymer electrolyte comprising the blend of chitosan (CS) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) plasticized with ethylene carbonate and propylene carbonate, as host polymer, and lithium perchlorate (LiClO₄), as a dopant, was prepared by solution casting technique. The ionic conductivity has been calculated using the bulk impedance obtained through impedance spectroscopy. The variation of conductivity and dielectric properties has been investigated as a function of polymer blend ratio, plasticizer content and LiClO₄ concentration at temperature range of 298–343 K. The DSC thermograms show two broad peaks for CS/PEG blend and increased with increase in the LiClO₄ content. The maximum conductivity has been found to be 1.1?×?10^?4 S cm^?1 at room temperature for 70:30 (CS/PEG) concentration. The electric modulus of the electrolyte film exhibits a long tail feature indicative of good capacitance. The activation energy of all samples was calculated using the Arrhenius plot, and it has been found to be 0.12 to 0.38 eV. A carbon–carbon supercapacitor has been fabricated using this electrolyte, and its electrochemical characteristics and performance have been studied. The supercapacitor showed a fairly good specific capacitance of 47 F?g^?1.     

AC impedance studies on proton-conducting PAN : NH4SCN polymer electrolytes

Solid polymer electrolytes based on polyacrylonitrile (PAN) doped with ammonium thiocyanate (NH₄SCN) in different molar ratios of polymer and salt have been prepared by solution-casting method using DMF as solvent. The increase in amorphous nature of the polymer electrolytes has been confirmed by XRD analysis. A shift in glass transition temperature (T _g) of the PAN?:?NH₄SCN electrolytes has been observed from the DSC thermograms which indicates the interaction between the polymer and the salt. From the AC impedance spectroscopic analysis, the ionic conductivity has been found to increase with increasing salt concentration up to 30 mol% of NH₄SCN beyond which the conductivity decreases and the highest ambient temperature conductivity has been found to be 5.79?×?10^?3 S cm^?1. The temperature-dependent conductivity of the polymer electrolyte follows an Arrhenius relationship which shows hopping of ions in the polymer matrix. The dielectric loss curves for the sample 70 mol% PAN?:?30 mol% NH₄SCN reveal the low-frequency β-relaxation peak pronounced at high temperature, and it may be caused by side group dipoles. The ionic transference number of polymer electrolyte has been estimated by Wagner’s polarization method, and the results reveal that the conductivity species are predominantly ions.     

The effect of NH<Subscript>4</Subscript>NO<Subscript>3</Subscript> towards the conductivity enhancement and electrical behavior in methyl cellulose-starch blend based ionic conductors

Solid polymer electrolytes based on methyl cellulose (MC)-potato starch (PS) blend doped with ammonium nitrate (NH₄NO₃) are prepared by solution cast technique. The interaction between the electrolyte’s materials is proven by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis. The thermal stability of the electrolytes is obtained from thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The room temperature conductivity of undoped 60 wt.% MC-40 wt.% PS blend film is identified to be (1.04 ± 0.19) × 10^?11 S cm^?1. The addition of 30 wt.% NH₄NO₃ to the polymer blend has optimized the room temperature conductivity to (4.37 ± 0.16) × 10^?5 S cm^?1. Conductivity trend is verified by X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dielectric analysis. Temperature-dependence of conductivity obeys Arrhenius rule. Conductivity is found to be influenced by the number density (n) and mobility (μ) of ions. From transference number measurements (TNM), ions are found to be the dominant charge carriers.