Hybrid Polymer Electrolytes Based on a Poly(vinyl alcohol)/Poly(acrylic acid) Blend and a Pyrrolidinium-Based Ionic Liquid for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Polymer blends of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) were prepared with different molar ratios by a solvent-casting technique. The XRD patterns of the blends show that the degree of crystallinity of the PVA membranes decreases with the addition of PAA owing to the formation of interpenetrating polymer chains. The vibrational spectra of the blend membranes reveal the formation of strong hydrogen bonding between PVA and PAA. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) reveals that the storage modulus of a 25 mol-% PAA sample is comparable to that of pure PVA and, therefore, confirms the mechanical stability of the blend membranes. Significant changes in the peak areas and chemical shifts of the PVA hydroxyl signal ( = 4-5 ppm) in the H-1 NMR spectra of the blend membranes confirm the strong hydrogen bonding between the OH groups of PVA and PAA. The ionic liquid (IL) 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (PYR14TFSI) with 0.2 M lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) was added to the polymer blend to prepare flexible, nonvolatile hybrid polymer electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries. A maximum ionic conductivity of 1 mScm(-1) is observed at 90 degrees C for the membrane with 70 mol-% IL.