Impact of ethylene carbonate on electrical properties of PVA/(NH4)2SO4/H2SO4 proton-conductive membrane

Abstract

A new proton-conductive membrane (PCM) based on poly (vinyl alcohol) and ammonium sulfate (NH4)2SO4 complexed with sulfuric acid and plasticized with ethylene carbonate (EC) at different weight percent were prepared by casting technique. The structural properties of these electrolyte films were examined by XRD studies. The XRD patterns of all the prepared polymer electrolytes reveal the amorphous nature of the films. ac conductivity and dielectric spectra of the electrolyte were studied with changing EC content from weight 0.00 to 0.75 g. A maximum conductivity of 7.3 × 10−5 S cm−1 has been achieved at ambient temperature for PCM containing 0.25 g of ethylene carbonate. The electrical conductivity σ, dielectric constant e′ and dielectric loss e″ of PCM in frequency range (100 Hz to 100 KHz), and temperature range (300–400 K) were carried out. Measurement of transference number was carried out to investigate the nature of charge transport in these polymer electrolyte films using Wagner’s polarization technique. Transport number data showed that the charge transport in these polymer electrolyte systems was predominantly due to ions. The electrolyte with the highest electrical conductivity was used in the fabrication of a solid-state electrochemical cell with the configuration (Mg/PCM/PbO2). Various cell parameters ldensity, and current density were determined. The fabricated cells gave capacity of 650 μAh and have an internal resistance of 11.6 kΩ.