Ion transport, dielectric, and electrochemical properties of sodium ion-conducting polymer nanocomposite: application in EDLC

The present paper reports the investigation of structural, electrical, dielectric, and transport properties of the polyethylene oxide (PEO)-based polymer nanocomposite (PNC), with sodium hexafluorophosphate (NaPF₆) salt and barium titanate (BaTiO₃) as nanofillers. The PNC has been prepared via standard solution casting technique. The structural investigation has been investigated by X-ray diffraction and evidence the enhancement in amorphous content. The morphology has been examined by Field emission scanning electron microscopy technique and confirms the composite formation. The presence of polymer–ion and ion–ion interaction has been confirmed by the Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) and evidences the PNC formation. The impedance spectroscopy has been performed to evaluate the ionic conductivity in the temperature range 40–100 °C. The increase of conductivity is obtained with the addition of nanofiller and temperature-dependent conductivity follows Arrhenius behavior. The PNC film having the highest conductivity exhibits low activation energy and indicates the fast ion migration. The ion transference number is close to unity and the voltage stability window is within the desirable limit. The complex permittivity and complex conductivity have been obtained and the plot has been fitted in the whole frequency window. The fitted plot is in perfect agreement with experimental data. The PNC having the highest conductivity has high dielectric strength and low relaxation time. It confirms the nanofiller role in enhancing ion migration. The ion transport parameters (n, μ, D) are also in correlation with impedance and dielectric analysis. The optimized PNC films have been used to prepare the Electric double-layer capacitors (EDLC) and it demonstrates the improved performance which may be attributed to the effective role played by nanofiller in boosting ion dynamics.