Polymer electrolyte liquid crystal system for improved optical and electrical properties

By Suhana Mohd Said and Ahmad Zulazlan Shah Zulkifli and Muhammad Akmal Kamarudin and Azizah Mainal and Balamurugan Subramanian and Nor Sabirin Mohamed
Published in European Polymer Journal NULL 2015

Abstract

Polymer electrolytes are electrolytes that consist of polymer/salt complex and contain free ions which render them electrically conductive. They are used extensively in applications such as batteries, capacitors, and photovoltaic cells. In this study, a series of 4-cyano-4?-pentylbiphenyl (5CB) nematic liquid crystal-doped polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) polymer electrolytes were prepared and the effects of the concentration of the doped 5CB on the properties of the electrolytes were characterized by alternating current (AC) impedance spectroscopy. The increase in conductivity which was achieved through the doping of 5CB suggests that the embedded liquid crystal (LC) molecules increased the ordering strength in the electrolyte, which provides a better pathway to transfer generated charges inside the polymer electrolyte. Characterization of the polymer electrolyte liquid crystal system (PeLCs) by electrochemical and spectroscopic techniques reveals the influence of \LC\ in the PeLC optical and electrochemical band gaps.

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