Development of agar agar and sodium salt based solid biopolymer electrolytes for battery applications

Abstract

In the present-day scenario, addressing the essential energy newlinerequirements of industries and society hinges on the efficiency of storage newlinesystems. Electrochemical devices, such as solid-state batteries, have emerged newlineas indispensable solutions for powering a wide array of applications. The newlineelectrolyte, a critical component within solid-state batteries, has been a focal newlinepoint of research for the past three decades, with a predominant focus on newlinesynthetic polymers. However, the increasing costs and environmental newlineimplications associated with synthetic batteries underscore the urgency for a newlineparadigm shift towards more sustainable alternatives. This has prompted a newlinegrowing interest in exploring solid biopolymer electrolyte-based batteries as a newlineviable and eco-friendly solution. newlineThis study endeavours to synthesize solid biopolymer membranes newlineusing agar-agar as the polymer host and various sodium salts (sodium newlineperchlorate, sodium thiocyanate, and sodium nitrite) as dopant materials. The newlinemembranes were fabricated through a solution-casting method. The primary newlineobjective is to identify the optimal composition for these membranes, newlinepositioning them as viable solid biopolymer electrolytes in primary batteries. newlineThe prepared membranes undergo a comprehensive characterization process newlineemploying techniques such as AC impedance spectroscopy, Linear Sweep newlineVoltammetry (LSV), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X newlineRay Diffraction (XRD), Transference Number Measurement (TNM), newlineDifferential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), and, Thermogravimetric Analysis newline(TGA). newline