Lithium ion conduction in corn starch based solid polymer electrolytes

A series of various compositions of corn starch and lithium perchlorate (LiClO4) polymer electrolyte thin films were prepared by solution casting technique. The optimum ionic conductivity of 1.28 x 10(4) S/cm was achieved by the composition ratio of 40 wt.% LiClO4 and 60 wt.% corn starch at 353 K. Dielectric behavior was analyzed using dielectric constant (epsilon '), dielectric moduli (M '') and dissipation factor (tan delta) of the samples. The complex permittivity reveals the presence of dipoles in the bulk materials. The complexation between the corn starch and LiClO4 in the matrix polymers are proven based on the presence of the change in intensity, shape of peaks and shift in peaks as observed in Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. Surface morphology and thermal properties of the film was carried out with scanning electron microscope (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.