Pectin and ammonium salt based solid biopolymer membranes for electrochemical applications

Abstract

Electrical power generation, distribution and storage are critical requirements for industry and contemporary civilization in general. Electrochemical devices such as solid state batteries and fuel cells are widely used in electric vehicles, satellites and electronic devices etc. The electrolyte is the active component of a solid state battery. During the past three decades, polymer electrolytes based on synthetic polymers employed in solid state batteries have been studied by many researchers. Now the moment has come to switch to solid biopolymer electrolyte-based batteries due to the high cost of synthetic batteries and their lack of environmental friendliness. Proton batteries have recently gained prominence over lithium ion batteries due to their abundant component materials and environmentally friendly properties. newlineAn attempt has been made to synthesize proton conducting solid biopolymer membranes based on pectin as polymer host and ammonium salts as dopant material. Pectin: ammonium salt solid biopolymer membranes are prepared through the simple solution cast method. To identify the best composition to be used as solid biopolymer electrolyte in primary proton polymer batteries, the prepared membranes are characterized using AC impedance spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Linear Sweep Voltammetry (LSV), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and Transference Number Measurement (TNM) techniques. The impact of adding ammonium salts on the structural, electrical, electrochemical, thermal, and transport characteristics of prepared membranes have been investigated thoroughly. newline