Effect of TiO2 nano-filler and EC plasticizer on electrical and thermal properties of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) based solid polymer electrolytes

• Effect of TiO2 nanofiller and EC on conductivity increase in PEO9LiTf is reported.
• 10 wt% TiO2 composition showed the highest conductivity of 4.9 × 10−5 S cm−1 at 30 °C.
• Further conductivity increase was obtained due to the incorporation of 50 wt% EC.
• DSC data shows that the Tg, Tm and Ea decrease with the addition of TiO2 and EC.
• Transient bonds and increased amorphocity contribute to conductivity enhancement.

Ionic conductivity of poly(ethylene oxide)–lithium trifluoromethanesulfonate (LiCF3SO3 or LiTf) based polymer electrolyte has been increased by incorporating TiO2 nano-filler. Incorporation of 10 wt.% TiO2 exhibited the highest conductivity enhancement with a value of 4.9 × 10−5 S cm−1 at 30 °C. A further enhancement in conductivity to a value of 1.6 × 10−4 S cm−1 at 30°C has been obtained by the incorporation of 50 wt.% ethylene carbonate (EC) plasticizer. Both additives cause a reduction of the PEO crystalline phase content and an increased segmental flexibility leading to conductivity enhancement.

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