Malays. J. Anal. Sci. Volume 29 Number 2 (2025): 1382

 

Research Article

 

Structural and electrical properties of chitosan grafted polyvinyl acetate (Ch-g-PVAc) with lithium triflate-based polymer electrolytes

 

Ain Sorhana Nabila Ismadi1, Nor Kartini Jaafar1*, Mohd Zaki Mohd Yusoff2, and Rosnah Zakaria1

 

1School of Physics and Material Studies, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia

2Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainable Development (IBSD), Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia

 

*Corresponding author: norka603@uitm.edu.my

 

Received: 14 October 2024; Revised: 25 January 2025; Accepted: 14 February 2025; Published: 13 April 2025

 

Abstract

Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) based on natural polymers are gaining attention due to their environmentally friendly, biodegradable, biocompatible, and safer materials compared to liquid electrolytes. Numerous studies have been conducted to develop polymer electrolytes with enhanced conductivity and long-term safety. In this study, chitosan-based natural solid polymer electrolytes with polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) using graph copolymerisation were studied. The polymer system of grafted Ch-g-PVAc with different concentrations of lithium triflate (LiTf) salt was successfully prepared using solution casting method. The X-Ray diffraction (XRD) revealed the reduction in the crystalline nature upon the inclusion of LiTf. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis revealed that the PVAc was successfully grafted onto the chitosan backbone, and the interaction of LiTf with Ch-g-PVAc are confirmed by the existence of several functional groups. The bulk resistance decreases with increasing salt content which is shown in electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) result. The highest ionic conductivity, 6.68 × 10-5 S cm−1 was obtained for Ch-g-PVAc doped with 50 wt.% LiTf salt with a breakdown voltage of 3.5 V as measured by Linear Sweep Voltammetry (LSV). This study proposes an environmentally friendly and practical electrolyte with excellent electrochemical performance suitable for the development of electrochemical devices.

 

Keywords: Chitosan, Ch-g-PVAc, poly(vinyl) acetate, lithium triflate, amorphous

 

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