Structural, Thermal And Electrical Characterization Of Carboxymethyl Cellulose – Ammonium Chloride – Based Solid Biopolymer Electrolytes For Use In Rechargable Protonic Cell

Abstract

Two solid biopolymer electrolyte (SBE) systems of carboxymethyl cellulose doped ammonium chloride (CMC-AC) and plasticized with propylene carbonate (CMC- AC-PC) have been successfully prepared by solution casting technique. Both SBE systems were translucent, free-standing and flexible with no phase separation. In this research, two different IR methods; Gaussian 09W software as computational and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) as experimental, were used to identify the complexation between polymer, salt and plasticizer. Gaussian 09W analysis reveals the complexation occurred between CMC and AC at 1412cm -1 -1 and 1585cm . No significant complexation is observed with the addition of PC, hence, PC has created new pathway and acted as lubricant in the SBEs. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis showed the amorphous pattern for both systems. With the addition of PC, XRD analysis showed that PC had increased the amorphousness of the SBEs. Thermal analysis by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) showed decrease in the value of glass transition temperature, Tg with addition of salt / plasticizer concentration