Polymer batteries with chitosan electrolyte mixed with sodium perchlorate

1 g chitosan was dissolved in 100 ml of 1% acetic acid solution. The solution was then mixed with sodium perchlorate. This chitosan-acetic acid-sodium perchlorate solution was then made into a thin film by the solution cast technique. Eight films were prepared each containing 1 g of chitosan in 100 ml of 1% acetic acid solution and 0.5 g, 1.0 g, 1.5 g, 2.0 g, 2.5 g, 3.0 g, 3.5 g and 4.0 g of sodium perchlorate (NaClO4) respectively. The electrical conductivity of the films measured at room temperature stops increasing after more than 3.0 g of sodium perchlorate was added. We have attempted to explain this maximum in electrical conductivity in terms of the weak electrolyte theory. The film containing 3.0 g sodium perchlorate having the highest electrical conductivity of 4.6 x 10(-2) mS cm(-1) was used in Zn + ZnSO4.7H2O/chitosan film/X, where X is a metallic oxide such as PbO2, V2O5 and MnO2. The internal resistance of these batteries are of the order of 10(3) ohms and is comparable with some of the polymer batteries that have been reported in the literature.