Raman spectra of polymer electrolytes based on poly(ethylene glycol) dimethyl ether, lithium perchlorate, and the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate

Raman spectra of polymer electrolytes based on poly(ethylene glycol) dimethyl ether (PEGdME) with LiClO4, PEGdME/LiClO4, and the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate, PEGdME/[bmim]PF6, are compared. Raman spectroscopy suggests stronger interactions in PEGdME/LiClO4 than PEGdME/[bmim]PF6, thus corroborating previous results obtained by molecular dynamics simulations. Quantum Chemistry methods have been used to calculate vibrational frequencies and the equilibrium structure of segments of the polymer chain around the cation. A consistent picture has been obtained from Raman spectroscopy, density functional theory (DFT) calculations, and molecular dynamics simulations for these polymer electrolytes.