Microwave characterization of a novel, environmentally friendly, plasma polymerized organic thin film

Electrochemical and Ion Transport Studies of Li+ Ion-Conducting MC-Based Biopolymer Blend Electrolytes

A facile methodology system for synthesizing solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) based on methylcellulose, dextran, lithium perchlorate (as ionic sources), and glycerol (such as a plasticizer) (MC:Dex:LiClO₄:Glycerol) has been implemented. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and two imperative electrochemical techniques, including linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), were performed on the films to analyze their structural and electrical properties. The FTIR spectra verify the interactions between the electrolyte components. Following this, a further calculation was performed to determine free ions (FI) and contact ion pairs (CIP) from the deconvolution of the peak associated with the anion. It is verified that the electrolyte containing the highest amount of glycerol plasticizer (MDLG3) has shown a maximum conductivity of 1.45 × 10⁻³ S cm⁻¹. Moreover, for other transport parameters, the mobility (μ), number density (n), and diffusion coefficient (D) of ions were enhanced effectively. The transference number measurement (TNM) of electrons (t_el) was 0.024 and 0.976 corresponding to ions (t_ion). One of the prepared samples (MDLG3) had 3.0 V as the voltage stability of the electrolyte.

Design of Polymer Blends Based on Chitosan:POZ with Improved Dielectric Constant for Application in Polymer Electrolytes and Flexible Electronics

There is a considerable demand for the development and application of polymer materials in the flexible electronic- and polymer-based electrolyte technologies. Chitosan (CS) and poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (POZ) materials were blended with different ratios to obtain CS:POZ blend films using a straightforward solution cast technique. The work was involved a range of characteristic techniques, such as impedance spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and optical microscopy. From the XRD spectra, an enhancement in the amorphous nature in CS:POZ blend films was revealed when compared to the pure state of CS. The enhancement was verified from the peak broadening in CS:POZ blend films in relative to the one in crystalline peaks of the CS polymer. The optical micrograph study was used to designate the amorphous and crystalline regions by assigning dark and brilliant phases, respectively. Upon increasing POZ concentration, the dielectric constant was found to increase up to ɛ′ = 6.48 (at 1 MHz) at 15 wt.% of POZ, and then a drop was observed beyond this amount. The relatively high dielectric constant and dielectric loss were found at elevated temperatures. The increase of POZ concentration up to 45 wt.% made the loss tangent to shift to the lower frequency side, which is related to increasing resistivity. The increases of dielectric constant and dielectric loss with temperature were attributed to the increase of polarisation. The loss tangent peaks were found to shift to the higher frequency side as temperature elevated. Obvious relaxation peaks were observed in the imaginary part of electric modulus, and no peaks were found in the dielectric loss spectra. The concentration dependent of M″ peaks was found to follow the same trend of loss tangent peaks versus POZ content. The relaxation process was studied in terms of electric modulus parameters.

Photostability of plasma polymerized γ-terpinene thin films for encapsulation of OPV

Optically transparent, smooth, defect-free, chemically inert and with good adhesion to a variety of substrates, plasma polymers from plant-derived secondary metabolites have been identified as promising encapsulating materials for organic electronics and photovoltaics. Here, we demonstrate that an encapsulating layer of plasma polymerized γ-terpinene reduces degradation-related loss in conversion efficiency in PCPDTBT:PC₇₀BM solar cells under ambient operating conditions. The stability of γ-terpinene films was then investigated under extreme UV irradiation conditions as a function of deposition power. When exposed to ambient air, prolonged exposure to UV–A and UV–B light led to notable ageing of the polymer. Photooxidation was identified as the main mechanism of degradation, confirmed by significantly slower ageing when oxygen was restricted through the use of a quartz cover. Under unnatural high-energy UV–C irradiation, significant photochemical degradation and oxidation occurred even in an oxygen-poor environment.