Polymer composite containing nano magnesium oxide filler and lithiumtriflate salt: An efficient polymer electrolyte for lithium ion batteries application

Solution plasma synthesis of bacterial cellulose acetate derived from nata de coco waste incorporated with polyether block amide

Cellulose acetate (CA), one of the most important cellulose derivatives, is used in various applications especially in membranes, films, fibers, filters, and polymers. Because of the tough and flexible character and resistance to acids of CA, bacterial cellulose acetate (BCA) has been used as reinforcement for high performance separator purposes. In this study, BCA was synthesized through the heterogeneous acetylation in acetic solution with H₂SO₄ as catalyst by solution plasma process (SPP) of bacterial cellulose (BC) extracted form nata de coco waste. The SPP was considered as mild, simple, and fast method for many kinds of synthesis. The solution plasma time was studied to obtain considerably high DS values (in this work, DS = 1.95). The high DS values are an important feature when considering an environmental factor, good liquid transport and excellent absorption. Furthermore, the BCA incorporated with poly ether block amide by electrospinning method is successfully fabricated as nanofibrous membranes. The proposed PEBAX/BCA nanofibrous membranes display superior sufficient porosity (74.7%), exceptional liquid electrolyte uptake (364.6%), sufficient thermal dimensional stability at 150 °C, great electrochemical stability (discharge capacity at 0.2C = 102.14 mAh g^-1), and high ionic conductivity (9.12 × 10^-3 S/cm). Furthermore, the PEBAX/BCA nanofibrous membranes can be used as high-performance separators enhancing its safety for Li-ion battery applications.

Studies on the effect of H+ carrier toward ionic conduction properties in alginate-ammonium sulfate complexes–based polymer electrolytes system

The present work highlights the contribution of ammonium sulfate (NH4)2SO4 as H+ carriers in alginate-based solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) that were successfully prepared via a solution casting technique. The Fourier transform infrared analysis revealed that molecular interactions between the host polymer and the ionic dopant complexes occurred at the wavenumbers 3700–2500 cm−1, 1800–1500 cm−1, and 1200–900 cm−1. These regions corresponded to the O-H stretching, COO− and C-O-C, moieties of alginate, respectively, which coordinated with the H+ carrier from (NH4)2SO4. At ambient temperature, the optimum ionic conductivity was obtained at 3.01 × 10−5 S cm−1 for the sample containing 10 wt.% of (NH4)2SO4. The IR-deconvolution approach shows that the ionic conduction enhancement is governed by the ionic mobility and the diffusion coefficient of H+ carriers, and the findings show that the present biopolymer, which is an alginate-based SPEs system, has an excellent possibility to be used as electrolytes for application in electrochemical devices.

Increase of Solid Polymer Electrolyte Ionic Conductivity Using Nano-SiO2 Synthesized from Sugarcane Bagasse as Filler

The synthesize of solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) based on polyethylene oxide (PEO), NaClO₄ and nano-SiO₂ was carried out by solution cast technique. Nano-SiO₂ was synthesized from sugarcane bagasse using sol-gel method. FTIR analysis was carried out to investigate the bonding between nano-SiO₂ and PEO/NaClO₄. The morphology of the SPE was characterized using SEM. XRD and DSC analysis showed that SPE crystallinity decreased as nano-SiO₂ concentration was increased. Mechanical analyses were conducted to characterize the SPE tensile strength and elongation at break. EIS analysis was conducted to measure SPE ionic conductivity. The PEO/NaClO₄ SPE with the addition of 5% nano-SiO₂ from sugarcane bagasse at 60 °C produced SPE with the highest ionic conductivity, 1.18 × 10^-6 S/cm. It was concluded that the addition of nano-SiO₂ increased ionic conductivity and interface stability at the solid polymer electrolyte-PEO/NaClO₄.

Synthesis, Properties, and Selected Technical Applications of Magnesium Oxide Nanoparticles: A Review

In the last few decades, there has been a trend involving the use of nanoscale fillers in a variety of applications. Significant improvements have been achieved in the areas of their preparation and further applications (e.g., in industry, agriculture, and medicine). One of these promising materials is magnesium oxide (MgO), the unique properties of which make it a suitable candidate for use in a wide range of applications. Generally, MgO is a white, hygroscopic solid mineral, and its lattice consists of Mg2+ ions and O2− ions. Nanostructured MgO can be prepared through different chemical (bottom-up approach) or physical (top-down approach) routes. The required resultant properties (e.g., bandgap, crystallite size, and shape) can be achieved depending on the reaction conditions, basic starting materials, or their concentrations. In addition to its unique material properties, MgO is also potentially of interest due to its nontoxicity and environmental friendliness, which allow it to be widely used in medicine and biotechnological applications.

Effect of HDI-Modified GO on the Thermoelectric Performance of Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):Poly(Styrenesulfonate) Nanocomposite Films

Composite films based on conducting polymers and carbon nanomaterials have attracted much attention for applications in various devices, such as chemical sensors, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), organic solar cells (OSCs), among others. Graphene oxide (GO) is an ideal filler for polymeric matrices due to its unique properties. However, GO needs to be functionalized to improve its solubility in common solvents and enable the processing by low-cost solution deposition methods. In this work, hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI)-modified GO and its nanocomposites with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) were developed, and their morphology, thermal, electrical, thermoelectrical and mechanical performance were characterized. The influence of the HDI functionalization degree and concentration on the nanocomposite properties were assessed. The HDI-GO increased the crystallinity, lamella stacking and interchain coupling of PEDOT:PSS chains. A strong improvement in electrical conductivity, thermal stability, Young's modulus and tensile strength was found, showing an optimum combination at 2 wt% loading. Drop and spin casting techniques were applied onto different substrates, and the results from deposition tests were analyzed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and UV-vis spectroscopy. A number of parameters influencing the depositions process, namely solvent nature, sonication conditions and ozone plasma treatment, have been explored. This study paves the way for further research on conducting polymer/modified GO nanocomposites to optimize their composition and properties (i.e., transparency) for use in devices such as OSCs.