Electrical properties of proton conducting solid biopolymer electrolytes based on starch-chitosan blend

Two systems (salted and plasticized) of starch-chitosan blend-based electrolytes incorporated with ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) are prepared via solution cast technique. The incorporation of 25 wt% NH4Cl has maximized the room temperature conductivity of the electrolyte to (6.47 +/- 1.30) x 10(-7) S cm(-1). Conductivity is enhanced to (5.11 +/- 1.60) x 10(-4) S cm(-1) on addition of 35 wt% glycerol. The temperature dependence of conductivity for all electrolytes is Arrhenian, and the value of activation energy (E (a) ) decreases with increasing conductivity. Conductivity is found to be influenced by the number density (n) and mobility (mu) of ions. The complexation between the electrolytes components is proven by Fourier transform infrared analysis. The relaxation time (t (r) ) for selected electrolytes is found to decrease with increasing conductivity and temperature. Conduction mechanism for the highest conducting electrolyte in salted and plasticized systems is determined by employing Jonscher's universal power law.