Ionic–Electronic Conductivity in Ternary Polymer/Reduced Graphene Oxide/Polyelectrolyte Nanocomposite Coatings for Potential Application in Energy Storage

Abstract

Polymeric mixed ionic–electronic conductors are desired for a range of applications. The growing interest in the shift from liquid to solid polymer electrolytes further fueled research interest in this domain. However, the predominant research in the field has been limited to binary systems where components are selected for their electronic and ionic conduction. Here, in a systematic study, we have developed ternary nanocomposites comprising an insulating polymer poly(benzyl methacrylate-stat-n-butyl acrylate) used as a binder, reduced graphene oxide as an electronic conductor nanofiller, and different concentrations of polyelectrolytes lignosulfonate (LS) and polystyrene sulfonate as ionic conductors. The developed ternary nanocomposite can be simply coated to obtain a uniform film at ambient temperature, exhibiting mixed ionic–electronic conduction. Scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive spectroscopy mapping revealed the distribution of polyelectrolytes throughout the film surface. The nanocomposite coatings exhibited the highest ionic conductivity of ∼54 S m–1 (30 wt % LS relative to monomer) and electronic conductivity of ∼40 S m–1 (7 wt % LS relative to monomer). The obtained ionic–electronic conductivity values were some of the highest reported in the literature (compared against binary systems), despite comprising an insulating binder as a majority component. The present work provides the important fundamental understanding behind the design and fabrication of ternary polymeric mixed ionic–electronic conductive coatings and paves the way for further research in the field. The developed nanocomposite coatings are anticipated to find application in a range of fields including energy storage, biomedical engineering, and sensors.

Maintaining Colloidal Stability of Polymer/Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite Aqueous Dispersions Produced via In Situ Reduction of Graphene Oxide for the Preparation of Electrically Conductive Coatings

“…Rectangular nanocomposite films were prepared by drop casting the chemically reduced latexes on glass slides. After drying for 24 h at ambient temperature, films were sputter coated with gold (100 nm) on two opposite sides under a sputtering current (40 mA) using a Quorum Q300T instrument by following the method developed by us previously . Gold was used only to improve Ohmic contact between the film and electrodes (crocodile clips) as per previously published approaches. , A schematic representation of the film used for LSV measurement is shown in Figure .…”

Recent Scenario of Surfactants Modified Graphene and Its Derivatives‐Based Polymer Nanocomposites—Review

“…Thus, according to a recent study, the configuration and distribution of rGO sheets inside the polymer matrix may be controlled by using an emulsifying agent technique. [27,28] The influence of the ionic surfactants sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS) and SDS on the mechanical characteristics and electrical conductivity of polymer/rGO nanocomposites has been explored in depth using mini emulsion polymerization studied by Agarwal et al The results showed that SDS addition demonstrated higher electrical conductivity (≈4.4 S m −1 ) as compared to SDBS. Moreover, thermal and mechanical characteristics of the host polymer system were imparted due to SDBS as well as SDS .…”

Ion correlations in quaternary ionic liquids electrolytes

“…Experimentally, the collective salt diffusion coefficient can be determined using the confined diffusion method and the individual ion diffusion coefficient can be obtained using the pulsed field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance (PFG-NMR) [14,15]. The ionic conductivity is typically measured through alternating current impedance spectroscopy with a small applied voltage (∼10 mV) [16][17][18]. The transport number is usually established through a steady-state current method, which is limited to dilute electrolytes due to its reliance on ideal solution behaviour [19,20].…”