Synthesis of Porous Proton Ion Conducting Solid Polymer Blend Electrolytes Based on PVA: CS Polymers: Structural, Morphological and Electrochemical Properties

Abstract

In this study, porous cationic hydrogen (H ⁺) conducting polymer blend electrolytes with an amorphous structure were prepared using a casting technique. Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), chitosan (CS), and NH ₄SCN were used as raw materials. The peak broadening and drop in intensity of the X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of the electrolyte systems established the growth of the amorphous phase. The porous structure is associated with the amorphous nature, which was visualized through the field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) images. The enhancement of DC ionic conductivity with increasing salt content was observed up to 40 wt.% of the added salt. The dielectric and electric modulus results were helpful in understanding the ionic conductivity behavior. The transfer number measurement (TNM) technique was used to determine the ion ( t _ion ) and electron ( t _elec ) transference numbers. The high electrochemical stability up to 2.25 V was recorded using the linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) technique.