Effects of TiO2 on conductivity performance of cellulose acetate based polymer gel electrolytes for proton batteries

An experimental investigation is performed on proton conducting polymer gel electrolyte nanocomposites based on cellulose acetate dispersed with nanosized titanium dioxide particles. The nanocomposite polymer gel electrolyte systems are in the form of a highly viscous gel. The optimised material, with 7.0 wt-% TiO2, offers the highest electrical conductivity of 1.37 x 10(-2) S cm(-1) at room temperature (30 degrees C) and also possesses the lowest activation energy. A discharge capacity of 60.1 and 54.1 mA h is observed when the cells are discharged at a constant current of 0.5 and 1.0 mA, respectively. Both electrical and electrochemical studies demonstrate promising characteristics for these composite polymer gel electrolytes, making them suitable as electrolytes in proton batteries.