Improved polymer chain movement in Poly(Vinyl Alcohol)–Potassium hydroxide gel polymer electrolytes with nanostructured Cobalt(II,III) oxide fillers for supercapacitor

• Published in: Materials today chemistry 2023-10, Vol.33, p.101740, Article 101740
• Main Authors: Lee, Jae Yeon, Moon, Juyoung, Lee, Chang Soo, Park, Jung Tae
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cobalt oxide filler; Conductive polymer; Electronic double-layer capacitor; Gel polymer electrolyte; Ionic conductivity; Supercapacitor
• ISSN: 2468-5194; 2468-5194
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mtchem.2023.101740

Designing high-performance polymer-based electrolytes is crucial for enhancing the conductivity of electrochemical capacitors. In this study, a highly conductive polymer/inorganic hybrid electrolyte was developed to improve the ionic conductivity by increasing the free volume between the polymer chains. The filler promotes the movement of OH− ions in the polymer gel electrolyte and enhances the device performance by facilitating the rapid movement of the polymer chains. In particular, rod-like or other similarly shaped fillers promote the formation of ionic conduction networks to improve the ionic conductivity. The use of the urchin-shaped Co3O4 (U–Co3O4) filler (4 wt%) facilitates a high ionic conductivity of 2.61 × 10−2 S cm−1 at room temperature because the U–Co3O4 surface acts as a conductive network in the polymer matrix contributing to the rapid ionic transport. Therefore, an optimal filler morphology is for increasing the performance of gel polymer electrolytes. [Display omitted] •PVA-based electrolytes with urchin-like and polyhedron Co3O4 was synthesized•Incorporation of nanostructured Co3O4 enhanced the ion conductivity.•Co3O4 filler provides the OH− hopping sites along with the crystalline PVA chain.•The effect of urchin-like and polyhedron nanostructure was investigated