Preparation and characterization of lithium ion conducting polymer electrolytes based on a blend of poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) and poly(methyl methacrylate)

• Main Authors: Merhawi Abreha Gebreyesus, Y. Purushotham, J.Siva Kumar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2016-07-01
• Series: Heliyon
• Subjects: Materials science
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844016305321

Ion conducting polymer electrolytes composed of poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVdF-HFP), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and lithium triflate (LiTf) were prepared using the solution casting method. Structural change and complex formation in the blend electrolyte systems were confirmed from the X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies. Thermal properties of the samples were investigated by the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) technique. The ionic conductivity of these polymer electrolytes was studied by impedance spectroscopy at various temperatures ranging from 303–393 K. The results reveal that the ionic conductivity of the polymer blend electrolytes depends on the PVdF-HFP:PMMA composition as well as the temperature. Maximum room temperature conductivity of 7.4×10−5 S cm−1 was achieved with 22.5 wt.% PMMA. The blending of PVdF-HFP with PMMA improved the thermal stability and ionic conductivity of the polymer electrolyte. Estimated transference numbers suggest the charge transport is predominantly ionic.