NMR study of starch based polymer gel electrolytes: Humidity effects

In this work, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) was used to study the effect of water absorption in polymer gel electrolytes formed by amylopectin rich starch, plasticized with glycerol and containing lithium perchlorate. The position of the 7Li spin-lattice relaxation rate maximum is shifted progressively towards lower temperatures with increasing hydration, reflecting an increase of the lithium mobility. The mechanism responsible for the spin-lattice relaxation of the 7Li nuclei in the gel electrolytes are the fluctuations of the quadrupolar interaction due to the lithium motions. The 7Li relaxation results of the gel electrolyte hydrated with 2.2 water per complex unit suggest that the lithium ions are almost decoupled from the polymer chain and coordinate, hence preferring the water molecules.