Characterization of proton conducting poly[ethylene oxide]: Poly[vinyl pyrrolidone] based polymer blend electrolytes for electrochemical devices

Proton conducting solid polymer electrolytes comprising PEO: PVP blend with ammonium nitrate in different compositions are prepared by solution casting technique and they are characterized with different techniques. X-ray diffraction (XRD) shows that the prepared polymer electrolytes have amorphous nature. Fourier transform infrared(FTIR) spectroscopy confirms the functional groups present in the polymer membranes. The scanning electron microscopical(SEM) images confirm the presence of smooth surface in the polymer electrolytes. The ionic conductivity values are calculated by ac impedance technique. The maximum ionic conductivity is obtained for 12 wt% ammonium nitrate doped polymer system at ambient temperature (6.39 x 10(-5)S/cm). From the transference number analysis by Wagner's polarization technique, the type of conductivity, mobility and charge-carrier concentration are confirmed. Electrochemical performance is also investigated using cyclic voltammetry (CV) studies.