Abstract:
The electrolyte is the key component of alkaline earth metal ion batteries and the ionic
conductivity of the electrolyte is one of the most important parameters of the battery
electrolyte. Gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) offer unique advantages by overcoming
the limitations associated with both liquid and solid electrolytes, while retaining
desirable properties from each type. The present study aimed to synthesize and
characterize poly (vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) based
gel polymer electrolyte in order to improve the conductivity of GPEs. Further, to
enhance the ionic conductivity of the PVDF-HFP based GPE, appropriate amount of
MgCl2 and of CaCl2 has been incorporated in the electrolyte separately.15% Mg2+
incorporated PVDF-HFP electrolyte shows higher ionic conductivity of 3.3060×10-3 S
cm-1 that of 15% Ca2+ is 2.1141×10-3 S cm-1. The ionic conductivity of GPEs further
enhanced by adding TiO2 nanoparticles as nanofillers. PVDF-HFP+15% Mg2+ with
0.075% TiO2 electrolyte exhibits greater ionic conductivity of 4.3307×10-3 S cm-1
while PVDF-HFP+15% Ca2+ with 0.05% TiO2 electrolyte shows ionic conductivity of
3.0594×10-3 S cm-1.The variation of ionic conductivity with temperature ranging from
25°C to 60°C of the PVDF-HFP+15% Mg2+ electrolyte and of PVDF-HFP+15% Ca2+
electrolyte was analyzed and the activation energy of each electrolyte was then
obtained. The activation energy of the PVDF-HFP+15% Mg2+ electrolyte and PVDFHFP+
15% Ca2+ electrolyte was found to be 0.71059×10-4 eV and 1.43454×10-4 eV
respectively. This study implies that PVDF-HFP based gel electrolyte can be a
suitable candidate for the alkaline earth metal ion batteries.
