Ion transport and electrochemical cell characteristic studies of a new (PVP+NaNO3) polymer electrolyte system

Polymer electrolyte films based on poly (vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) complexed with NaNO3 salt have been prepared by solution-cast technique. Several experimental techniques such as X-ray diffraction, Infrared (IR), DC-electrical conductivity, transference number measurements have been employed to characterize the polymer electrolyte. The conductivity of the (PVP + NaNO3) electrolyte is about 10(4) times larger than that of pure PVP at room temperature. The transference number measurements show that the charge transport in this polymer electrolyte system is predominantly due to ions. Using this polymer electrolyte, an electrochemical cell with the configuration Na/(PVP + NaNO3)/(I-2 + C + electrolyte) has been fabricated and its discharge characteristics studied. The open circuit voltage (OCV) and short circuit current (SCC) observed for the cell are 2.65 V and 1.1 mA respectively. A number of other cell parameters evaluated are also reported. (C) 2000 Kluwer Academic Publishers.