Formation of biopolymer electrolyte by interaction between carboxymethyl cellulose and NaCH3COO and its Na+ ion transport properties

The present work deals with a new biodegradable biopolymer electrolyte-based carboxymethyl cellulose, CMC which was isolated from palm oil empty fruit bunch. Biopolymer electrolytes were developed with different ratios of sodium acetate (NaCH3COO) via a solution casting technique, and their structural, electrical and electrochemical behaviours were investigated. The incorporation of 30 wt% sodium acetate yielded an optimized ionic conductivity of 1.83 x 10(-3) S cm(-1) at room temperature. Fourier transform infrared results suggested that interactions between components occurred in the biopolymer. The CMC-NaCH3COO film with the highest conductivity had an electrochemical stability of 2.8 V, and transference number measurements confirmed that ions predominate in the conduction of electrolytes.