Knuth, Rogerio Daltro, Knuth, Flávio A., Maron, Guilherme K., Balboni, Raphael D. C., Moreira, Mario L., Raubach, Cristiane W., Jardim, Pedro L. G., Carreno, Neftali L. V., Avellaneda, César O., Moreira, Eduardo C., and Cava, Sérgio S.
A composite based on natural polymer xanthan gum (XG) and expanded graphite nanosheets (GNs) was prepared for application as a flexible and eco‐friendly solid polymer electrolyte (SPE). To evaluate the ionic conductivity, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was performed at different temperatures, ranging from 25 to 80°C, reaching high values of 1.1 × 10−3 and 2.43 × 10−3 S cm−1 at room temperature and 40°C, respectively, for the sample containing 0.5% by weight of GNs. Additional characterizations including X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and cyclic voltammetry were implemented to get full structural, morphological and optical relevant features of these samples. The results showed that flexible SPEs based on XG/GNs are very promising and can be used as electrolytes with high potential of application in a wide variety of electrochemical devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]