Polyacrylonitrile–propylene carbonate–CuX 2 (X=Cl, Br, CF 3SO 3) solid polymer electrolyte

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A series of poly(acrylonitrile)–propylene carbonate–CuX 2 (PAN–PC–CuX 2, where X=Cl, Br and CF 3SO 3) foils of thickness between 0.03 and 0.09 cm, were prepared by means of the solution cast technique. The PAN–PC–CuX 2 system forms flexible foils of good mechanical properties even at high solvent and salt contents. Conductivities of the foils obtained from the analysis of impedance spectra, reach the level of ca. 5×10 −3 Ω −1 cm −1. The temperature variation of the conductivity for all the systems studied is of the Arrhenius type. The cyclic polarisation (within the −1 V to +1 V range) of the Pt|electrolyte|Pt and Cu|electrolyte|Cu cells shows that the deposition of copper from the electrolyte is basically feasible and reversible. The Cu 2++2e −⇌Cu redox process, which takes place in the presence of the weak ligand CF 3SO − 3, [PAN–PC–Cu(CF 3SO 3) 2 system] is approximately two orders of magnitude slower than the Cu X 2− n n +2e −⇌Cu+ nX − reaction (X=Cl and Br) which occurs in the case of the PAN–PC–CuCl 2 and PAN–PC–CuBr 2 electrolytes.