Abstract
There is an urgent need to fulfill the hunger for energy in an efficient and a safer way. In this context, non-Lithium based energy storage devices have received a noticeable interest. A prime attention has been given on electrolytes as many of the devices are composed with liquid electrolytes which have been later identified as having various problems. Gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) are considered as viable substituents for liquid electrolytes because they exhibit liquid like conductivities while retaining good mechanical stabilities. To further improve the safety aspects of GPEs, nowadays many studies have been performed with ionic liquids (ILs) in place of solvents on GPEs. The present study was carried out to fabricate a Zn rechargeable cell with natural graphite (NG) cathode and an IL based GPE. The IL, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate (1E3MITF) with the polymer poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and the salt zinc trifluoromethanesulfonate (Zn(CF3SO3)2 – ZnTF) were used in preparing the GPE. The electrochemical properties of the GPE were evaluated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and DC polarization test. The maximum room temperature conductivity of the electrolyte was 3.06 × 10-4 S cm-1. Conductivity of the electrolyte was highly contributed by ions. The cell of the configuration, Zn / GPE / NG was characterized using cyclic voltammetry (CV) test. Initial specific charge was about 2.25 mA h g-1 and during 50 cycles, it had reduced down to 2.15 mA h g-1. Moreover, satisfactory stability was observed during CV test. Further studies are in progress to improve the cell performance.
Highlights
In the present world, there is an enormous collection of electrical appliances being used for various activities ranging from home to the entire society
For a system based on PVC and lithium perchlorate, a conductivity value lower than this (3.7 x 10-7 S cm-1) has been reported [Ahmad et al, 2008]
The salt and ionic liquids (ILs) dissociation at high temperatures might be beneficial to the migration of charge carriers leading to a higher conductivity
Summary
There is an enormous collection of electrical appliances being used for various activities ranging from home to the entire society. Liquid electrolytes have been playing a key role in almost all devices Upon identification of their demerits, many have initiated research activities on other types of electrolytes. A large number of polymers such as poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), poly(vinylidenefluoride) (PVdF) and poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) have been used to fabricate GPEs with notable performance (Kim et al, 2001). Compared to those polymers, polyvinylchloride (PVC) is another polymer host which has not been widely considered. Many research activities have been launched to explore suitable substitutes for solvents In this regard, ionic liquids (ILs) haven been identified as reliable substitutions. Before employing in the cell, conducting properties of the GPE were analyzed
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