Solid-state Guar gum electrolytes were prepared through the solution casting technique, employing a composition of 70 % Guar gum and 30 % ZnSO4·7H2O(GZ3). Different weight concentrations of nano ZrO2 (2.5 %, 5 %, 7.5 %, and 10 %) were introduced into the present Guar gum electrolytes. As prepared ZrO2 nanofiller substituted Guar gum electrolytes were examined by XRD, FTIR, DSC, and SEM to evaluate the amorphous characteristics, complexation, glass transition temperature, and surface morphology, respectively. Electrochemical impedance was utilized to examine the frequency-dependent ionic conductivity and dielectric properties of prepared ZrO2 nanofiller-substituted Guar gum electrolytes. At a temperature of 100 °C, the Guar gum electrolyte with10 % Nano ZrO2 exhibited an ionic conductivity of 3.19 × 10−3 S/cm, whereas, at room temperature (RT), it recorded a value of 1.09 × 10−3 S/cm. The activation energy for these electrolytes varied within the range of 0.26 eV–0.39 eV. Furthermore, an investigation of the frequency-dependent dielectric properties revealed a significant tail in the low-frequency region and the presence of space charge polarization within the electrolyte. The study also explored the relaxation time and hopping mechanism through dielectric modulus parameters. Moreover, a flexible Zn-based electrochemical cell was fabricated using a formulation comprising 70 % Guar gum, 30 % Zinc salt, and 10 % Nano ZrO2. The outcomes revealed an open circuit voltage of 0.82V, a discharge rate of 0.04C sustained over 25 h, with an average current discharge rate of approximately 1.4 mA per hour, resulting in an electrochemical-specific capacity of around 45mAh/g. Additionally, a solar cell device was fabricated using Guar gum electrolytes, and the photovoltaic parameters were computed. The maximum overall power conversion efficiency (ƞ) reached 4.79, with short-circuit photocurrent density (Jsc) at 9.66 mA/cm2, open-circuit voltage (Voc) at 725 mV, and fill factor (FF) at 0.65.
Read full abstract