Ionic conductance of composite electrolytes based on network polymer with ceramic powder

Effects of ceramic fillers (α-Al2O3, γ-Al2O3 and BaTiO3) have been investigated on the ionic conductance of polymeric complexes consisting of poly(ethylene oxide)-modified poly(methacrylate) (PEO-PMA) and lithium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, Li(CF3SO2)2N, and ceramic powder. The addition of ceramic powder increased the ionic conductivity over an ambient temperature range. Conductivity of 4.9 × 10− 5 S cm− 1 at 333 K (60 °C) was obtained for the composite containing 15 wt.% α-Al2O3 prepared by photo-polymerization. The optimum content of Al2O3 was different among the methods of polymerization. The highest conductivity was obtained for the composite containing 5 wt.% of α-, or γ-Al2O3 prepared by thermal polymerization. The addition of the ceramic filler scarcely influenced the thermal properties of the polymer matrix. XRD and NMR experiments showed that the ionic mobility could be enhanced in the composites by addition of α-Al2O3. The addition of small amounts of ferroelectric BaTiO3 also increased the ionic conductivity of the polymeric complex, but its extent was smaller than the case of the Al2O3 addition.