Chapter 6 - Electrical conduction in dispersed phase solid polymer electrolytes: the dielectric and electric modulus approach

Abstract

Ion-conducting solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) have been increasingly used in electrochemical devices as efforts have improved their transport properties via a better understanding of their physical and chemical properties. This chapter provides a look at those efforts and provides new information on one such polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) based SPE system, PMMA + LiClO4, with and without cerium oxide filler. Various theoretical and experimental approaches for the study of electrical transport in SPEs are reviewed here. Electrical transport in the PMMA + LiClO4 materials has been studied via electrical impedance spectroscopy at selected temperatures and is explained in terms of the dielectric constant, electric modulus, and AC conductivity of these materials. The results showed that higher conductivity at higher temperatures is not only due to the increased mobility of ions but also supported by an increase in carrier concentration.