Thermal and electrical properties of solid polymer electrolyte PEO9 Mg(ClO4)2 incorporating nano-porous Al2O3 filler

Solid polymer electrolyte PEO9 Mg(ClO4)2 incorporating 10 wt.% nano-porous Al2O3 filler grains has been prepared by the solvent casting technique using acetonitrile as the common solvent. Al2O3 powder (activated acidic, Aldrich) with grain size 104 μm and pore size 5.8 nm were incorporated as an inert filler. Electrolyte films have been characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, complex impedance and dc polarization measurements. The nano-composite electrolyte as well as the filler-free electrolyte appear to be predominantly anionic conductors with ClO4− ions being the migrating species. The presence of the alumina filler has enhanced the ionic conductivity significantly. The conductivity enhancement has been attributed to Lewis acid–base type interactions between H groups at the filler grain surface and the ClO4− ions. Transient H-bonding through these interactions is expected to provide additional hopping sites and favourable conducting pathways for migrating ionic species.