Thermo‐mechanical Properties of PEO‐PU/PAN Semi‐Interpenetrating Polymer Networks and their LiClO₄ Salt‐Complexes

This paper is an investigation on the thermo‐mechanical properties of a new class of materials, which holds promise for its potential use as solid polymer electrolytes, i.e., SPE material. A series of poly(ethylene oxide)‐polyurethane/poly(acrylonitrile) (PEO‐PU/PAN) semi‐IPNs, along with their LiClO₄ salt complexes, were characterized for their thermal, mechanical and dimensional stability using DSC, TG‐DTA, UTM and DMTA. The glass transition temperature (T_g) of both the undoped and doped semi‐IPNs, obtained by DSC, remained well below room temperature (∼−50°C to −35°C), satisfying one of the essential requirements to serve as a SPE host matrix. The crystallization process in the PEO segments of the PEO‐PU/PAN semi‐IPNs was prevented at higher salt concentrations, which is attributed to the Li⁺ ion mediated pseudo‐crosslinks. Good thermal stability of the semi‐IPNs was evident from the degradation onset temperature (T₀∼240°C) with a three‐stage degradation process, which is independent of the PAN content as observed from differential thermogravimetric studies. The incorporation of PAN in the PEO‐PU networks results in improved mechanical properties, such as tensile strength and modulus while retaining the flexibility of the semi‐IPNs. The peak temperatures and storage modulus obtained from DMTA correlates well with the observations of DSC and tensile measurements.

^†IICT Communication No.: 0407019.

Keywords:

• interpenetrating polymer networks
• solid polymer electrolytes
• poly(ethylene oxide)
• poly(acrylonitrile)

Acknowledgements

PB gratefully acknowledges ‘Council of Scientific and Industrial Research’, India for the financial assistance in the form of a senior research fellowship (SRF).

Notes

^†IICT Communication No.: 0407019.