Structure, thermal and transport properties of PVAc-LiClO4 solid polymer electrolytes

The lithium ion conducting solid polymer electrolytes (SPE) based on PVAc-LiClO4 of various compositions were prepared by solution casting technique. Structure and surface morphology characterization were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurements, respectively. Thermal and conductivity behavior of polymer-salt complexes were studied by employing differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and ac impedance measurements, respectively. XRD and SEM analyses indicate the amorphous nature of the polymer-salt complexes. DSC measurements show decrease in T-g with the increase in LiClO4 concentrations. The bulk conductivity of the PVAc:LiClO4 polymer electrolytes was found to vary between 7.6 x 10(-7) and 6.2 x 10(-5) S cm(-1) at 303 K with the increase in salt concentration. The temperature dependence of the polymer electrolyte complexes appear to obey Arrhenius law. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.