Correlations between the dopant concentration and ion transport properties of plasticized NaCMC-Pectin polyblend electrolyte membranes for electrochemical device applications.

This study explores the structural and electrical properties of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (NaCMC)–pectin (PC)–glycerol–NH 4 Br electrolyte films and investigates their potential applications in proton batteries. Plasticized solid polymer electrolyte (SPEs) films were fabricated using the solution casting method. The interaction between the salt and polymer blends was verified using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) analysis. Incorporation of various salt concentrations (up to 25 wt%) was found to enhance the amorphous phase of the polymer blend, as evidenced by X-ray diffraction (XRD) results. Additionally, the decrease in the glass transition temperature, as confirmed by DSC analysis, indicates that the inclusion of both plasticizer and salt contributed to this effect. An electrolyte with 25% wt. of NH 4 Br has the highest room temperature conductivity of 4.68 × 10−4 S cm−1. This electrolyte was employed to fabricate the proton battery for energy storage application. [Display omitted] • Plasticized PC/NaCMC-NH 4 Br has been successfully synthesized. • Plasticized PC/NaCMC-NH 4 Br SPE shows ionic conductivity of 4.68 × 10-4 (S cm-1) along with an LSV up to 2.4 V. • The plasticized PC/NaCMC-NH 4 Br sample with the highest conductivity exhibits a low crystallinity index (χ %) of 11.98. • Transport properties through Nyquist plot fitting aligned with ionic conductivity trend. • The proton battery with 25 wt% of salt concentration demonstrates an OCV of 1.2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]