Effect of hot pressing on the ionic conductivity of the PEO/LiCF3SO3 based electrolyte membranes

PEO/LiCF3SO3 (LiTFS) /Ethylene carbonate (EC) polymer electrolyte membranes were prepared with a solution casting method followed by a hot pressing process. The effect of the hot pressing process on the in-plane conductivity of the PEO electrolyte membranes was evaluated using a four-electrode AC impedance method. The composition, morphology, and microstructure of the composite polymer electrolyte were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The AC impedance measurement results indicate that the hot pressing process can increase the room temperature conductivity of the membranes 14 times to 1.7 × 10− 3 S cm− 1 depending upon the duration of the hot pressing process. The SEM, FTIR, XRD, and DSC results indicate that the hot pressing process could increase the amorphous part of the polymer electrolyte membrane or convert large spherulite crystals into nano-sized crystals.

► This research is about the effect of hot pressing on the ionic conductivity and structure of PEO/LiX polymer electrolytes.
► The major finding is that hot pressing can increase the conductivity up to 10 folds.
► Hot pressing results in a conversion from crystalline to amorphous structure.