Enhancement of Plasticizing Effect on Bio-Based Polyurethane Acrylate Solid Polymer Electrolyte and Its Properties

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Solid polymer electrolytes are crucial for advanced battery technologies.
• Developing sustainable and high-performance electrolytes is an ongoing research challenge.
• Polyurethane acrylate (PUA) offers potential as a polymer matrix due to its tunable properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a novel solid polymer electrolyte based on vegetable oil-derived polyurethane acrylate (PUA).
• To investigate the effect of ethylene carbonate (EC) as a plasticizer on the ionic conductivity and electrochemical performance of PUA electrolytes.
• To evaluate the thermal stability and dielectric properties of the modified PUA-based solid polymer electrolyte.

Main Methods:

• Polyurethane acrylate (PUA) was synthesized via a urethanation process involving polyol, Toluene 2,4-Diisocyanate (TDI), and hydroxylethylmethylacrylate (HEMA).
• Thin polymeric films were prepared by UV curing.
• Ethylene carbonate (EC) and LiClO₄ were incorporated into the PUA matrix to form electrolyte systems.
• Characterization included Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), dielectric analysis, Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and morphology studies.

Main Results:

• The synthesized PUA films exhibited good thermal stability and potential for high ionic conductivity.
• The PUA electrolyte system modified with 9 wt.% ethylene carbonate (EC) achieved a maximum ionic conductivity of 7.86 × 10⁻⁴ S/cm.
• Improvements were observed in linear sweep voltammetry, transference number, and dielectric properties with the addition of EC.
• Characterization techniques confirmed the structural, thermal, and morphological properties of the PUA-based electrolytes.

Conclusions:

• The addition of ethylene carbonate (EC) as a plasticizer significantly improves the ionic conductivity and overall performance of polyurethane acrylate (PUA) based solid polymer electrolytes.
• The developed PUA-based solid polymer electrolyte demonstrates promising characteristics for potential applications in electrochemical devices.
• The study highlights the viability of using vegetable oil-based PUA for creating sustainable and efficient polymer electrolytes.