IMPACT OF ZrO2 NANOPARTICLES ON IONIC TRANSPORT AND ELECTROCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF NANOCOMPOSITE GEL POLYMER ELECTROLYTE: PPG (4000)-AgCF3SO3:ZrO2

The phenomenon of enhancement of ionic transport and electrochemical behavior of a new poly ( propylene glycol) (PPG 4000)-silver triflate (AgCF3SO3) as a result of incorporation of varying concentrations of ZrO2 nanoparticles have been investigated. The significant conformal changes and the strength of interactions along with chain enlargement of polymer matrix have been analyzed by means of FT-IR and DSC studies as well. From the ac impedance measurements, it is clear that the addition of filler particles favors an increase in the conductivity by more than two orders of magnitude and that the typical sample PPG(4)-AgCF3SO3: 10 wt% ZrO2 exhibits a maximum conductivity of 2: 9 x 10(-3) Scm(-1) along with the cationic transference number of 0.49 at room temperature.