Ion Association in Polymer Electrolytes; A Raman Study of Poly (Propylene Oxide) Based Complexes

Abstract

AbstractRaman spectra of a series of PPO-LiClO4 and PPO-NaCF3SO3 complexes have been obtained for different temperatures and salt concentrations to study the various ion associations of the dopant salt. It was found that ion-ion interactions dramatically influenced the internal symmetric stretching modes ν1 of the anions. Splitting of ν1 into a multicomponent band was observed. The intensity profile of the band was found to change rapidly with salt concentration and temperature. A three component band analysis led to the identification of dissociated ions, ion pairs and multiple ion aggregates, respectively. Increased ion association with increased temperature and/or salt concentration was observed for both LiCIO4- and NaCF3SO3- complexes. It is likely to initiate the phase separation and salt precipitation observed in many salt-polymer complexes at higher temperatures. Considerably stronger ion-ion interaction was observed in the NaCF3SO3-system than in the LiCIO4-complex, which may explain the lower conductivities reported for PPO-NaCF3SO3 electrolytes. The drastic conductivity drop observed in both systems at higher salt concentrations can however only partly be due to a decreased concentration of “free” ions, the major effect being attributed to decreased ion mobility.