Combined Effects of PVDF/PEO-EC GEL Polymer Electrolytes for High-Performance Hybrid Electrochemical Supercapacitors

This article delineates the electrical characteristics and usefulness of a plasticized polymer electrolyte (PPE) manufactured from PVDF/PEO blends, using varying weight percentages of the plasticizer ethylene carbonate (EC) in conjunction with a liquid electrolyte. Micro-porous solid-state polymer electrolyte membranes were fabricated using the non-solvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) method. The polymer composite membranes modified by the incorporation of a plasticizer (40 weight percent of EC) exhibited enhanced porosity and absorbed a significant quantity of liquid electrolyte (313.3%). A N₂ adsorption isotherm study indicates an increase in pore volume and pore size resulting from the incorporation of EC in PPE. This resulted in a satisfactory level of ionic conductivity (2.08 mS/cm) at 25 °C, attributable to the inclusion of 40 wt.% EC-based PPE, which has a high dielectric constant and a rapid relaxation time. The AC/40 wt.% EC-based PPE/LTO hybrid supercapacitor exhibits a superior specific capacitance, reduced internal resistance, and enhanced retention values after 10,000 cycles in comparison to the AC/10 wt.% EC-based PPE/LTO hybrid supercapacitor.