Structural, electrical and electrochemical studies of ionic liquid-based polymer gel electrolyte using magnesium salt for supercapacitor application

In the present studies, the effect of ionic liquid 1-Ethyl-2,3-dimethylimidazoliumtetrafluoroborate (EDiMIM)(BF4) on ionic conductivity of gel polymer electrolyte using poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) [PVdF(HFP)] and magnesium perchlorate [Mg(ClO4)(2)] as salt was investigated. The maximum room temperature ionic conductivity for the optimized system was found to be of the order of 8.4 x 10(-3) S cm(-1). The optimized composition reflects Vogel-Tammann-Fulcher (VTF) behavior in the temperature range of 25 degrees C to 100 degrees C. The X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy studies confirm the uniform blending of ionic liquid, polymer, and salts along with the enhanced amorphous nature of the optimized system. Dielectric and modulus spectra studies provide the information of electrode polarization as well as dipole relaxation properties of polymeric materials. The optimized electrolyte system possesses a sufficiently large electrochemical window of the order of 6.0 V with stainless steel electrodes.