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Polyvinyl butyral (PVB) integrated with varying compositions of potassium chloride (KCl) was prepared through a solution-cast method in methanol, forming a PVB-based electrolyte film for solid-state potassium batteries. The incorporation of KCl into PVB matrix significantly altered the composite electrolyte film's structural intricacies, bandgap modulation, thermal stability and facilitated functional group identification. Furthermore, the ionic conductivity of the PVB polymer electrolyte exhibited an initial enhancement followed by a subsequent reduction with the escalating ratio of KCl. Specifically, at 80 wt% PVB and 20 wt% KCl, its ionic conductivity reached a value of 1.87 × 10−5 S cm−1 at room temperature and 9.61 × 10−5 S cm−1 at 303 K temperature. The ion transference number, which denotes the relative ease with which potassium ions migrate within the PVB polymer-complexed electrolyte, was determined to be 0.98. Discharge tests on the cell, under 1.2 µA current and 2.1 V at room temperature, displayed an initial 9.16 µA h−1 discharge capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF)-based nanocomposite polymer electrolyte (NCPE) thin films for electrochemical applications have been synthesized by solution cast technique. NCPEs have 70PVDF:30Mg(NO3)2 solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) with conductivity ~7.3 × 10–8 S cm–1 as phase-I and various nanoparticles as phase-II, dispersed in SPE for enhancement in its conductivity. These NCPE films were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and impedance spectroscopic techniques to study the structural and electrical properties. XRD and FTIR studies of film confirms formation of complexes. From composition and temperature dependence of conductivity analysis, we have obtained an optimum conducting composition of NCPE, i.e., 70PVDF:30Mg(NO3)2:3ZnO with conductivity σ = 3.7 × 10–4 S cm–1. Ionic transport number (tion = 0.99) have been calculated from Wagner's dc polarization technique. Electrochemical cell has been fabricated using cell configuration Mg|NCPE|carbon cell and various cell parameters have been calculated from their discharge characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]