Electrical Characterization and Ionic Transport Properties of Carboxyl Methylcellulose-Oleic Acid Solid Polymer Electrolytes

Abstract

Electrical impedance spectroscopy was used to measure the conductivity of solid polymer electrolytes. From the impedance study, the highest ionic conductivity of solid polymer electrolytes based on carboxyl methylcellulose as polymer host and oleic acid as the doping salt, prepared by the solution casting method at room temperature, σ_r.t, is 2.11 × 10⁻⁵ S cm⁻¹ for the sample containing 20 wt.% of oleic acid. Transference number measurement was performed to correlate the diffusion phenomena to the conductivity behavior of carboxyl methylcellulose-oleic acid solid polymer electrolytes. From the transference number measurement study, the conduction species carrier of the cation (+) is higher than that of the anion (−). Thus, the results proved that the samples are proton-conducting solid polymer electrolytes.

Keywords:

• Carboxyl methylcellulose
• Natural solid polymer electrolytes
• Oleic acid
• Proton conductor

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank MOHE for My Master Scholarship, Department of Physical Sciences under the Faculty of Science and Technology, University Malaysia Terengganu, and N. A. Nik Aziz and A. S. Samsudin for their help and support given for this work.