Publication

Abstract : Solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) systems prepared with poly (ethylene oxide) PEO as polymer and Rubidium Bromide (RbBr) as salt. The SPE system PEO: RbBr doped with 10 wt% of RbBr, which is stable and exhibits the highest ionic conductivity of 4.02×10−6 Scm−1, is modified structurally by irradiating with a beam of oxygen ions. Ionic conductivity and dielectric properties of the SPEs were evaluated by studying complex impedance spectra. SPE irradiated with 1×1015 ions/cm2 shows one-order enhancement conductivity (3.61×10−5 Scm−1). The single peak in dielectric loss tangent curves indicates that segmental motion is responsible for ion motion in the polymer network. The decreased relaxation time (τ) in the irradiated SPEs shows increased segmental motion due to the reduced crystalline phase. X-ray diffraction graphs show an increment in width and reduction in intensity of characteristic peaks, and thermal studies show a decrease in glass transition temperature (Tg) and melting point (Tm) in the case of irradiated SPEs. These observations support the observed enhancement of the amorphous phase due to irradiation. The appearance of the D-LAM band in Raman spectra further proves the modification in the morphology of SPE systems.