Effect of High Humidity Exposure to Wheat Starch Based High Conducting Flexible Polymer‐in‐Salt‐Electrolyte

Abstract

AbstractPolymer‐in‐salt‐electrolytes (PISEs) are an important class of electrolytes as they carry the promise of faster and single ion transport. Unfortunately, due to unavailability of a suitable polymer host PISE has still not reached to commercial level. In the present work, using a novel synthesis protocol developed by the group, glutaraldehyde crosslinked wheat starch has been successfully modified with sodium iodide (NaI) to synthesize a flexible PISE membrane with desired electrochemical properties. Present paper reports the effect of crosslinker and exposure to high humidity ambience on electrochemical and morphological properties. It has been established that on exposure to higher humidity atmosphere starch‐based PISEs stabilize at lower resistance value, but with higher ion relaxation time, which indicates that effect of high humidity treatment is more on salt dissociation instead of assisting the ion transport. The studied materials have conductivity ≈0.01 S cm−1 range with ESW >2.5 V, ensuring its usability in electrochemical devices. The developed synthesis protocol does not require any complicated synthesis route and/or sophisticated instrument hence the overall process is economical also, adding up to its potentiality for energy device fabrication.