Proton ion-conducting polymer electrolytes added with SiO2 nanoparticles: conductivity, dielectric, relaxation, and physical studies

In the present study, a proton-conducting nanocomposite polymer electrolyte system based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) containing ammonium acetate (NH4CH3CO2) salt and silicon dioxide (SiO2) nanoparticles is prepared using standard solution casting technique. Conductivity, dielectric, and modulus properties of prepared electrolyte films show significant changes in electrochemical behavior on varying SiO2 concentration. The optimized polymer electrolyte film with 10 wt% of SiO2 filler shows ionic conductivity of ~ 5.1 × 10−4 S cm−1, total ion transport number as ~ 0.99, and electrochemical stability window as 3.6 V at room temperature. The morphological studies reveal porous structure while the thermal studies confirm no melting feature till 205 °C for the fabricate electrolyte films. Perhaps the optimized proton-conducting nanocomposite polymer electrolyte is suitable for application in electrochemical device, especially in proton-based batteries.