Poly(vinylidene‐co‐hexafluoropropylene) membrane modified with glass fibers and polyvinyl pyrrolidone: Mechanical and electrochemical properties

Abstract

The polymer electrolytes based on poly(vinylidene‐co‐hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF‐co‐HFP) have been widely studied and applied in devices for its excellent electrochemical and mechanical properties. Here, porous PVDF‐co‐HFP membrane modified with glass fibers (GFs) and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) were fabricated by phase‐transfer method. When the dosage of GFs exceeded 1 wt%, the composite membranes exhibited 6.11 MPa tensile strength. When the dosage of GFs and PVP reached 1% (PVP1GF1), respectively, the composite membranes in porous network structure possessed the highest electrolyte uptake of 251.02%, the thermal stability of 343°C and the ionic conductivity of 3.05 × 10−3 S cm−1. Electrochromic device (ECD) was assembled with PVP1GF1 electrolyte, showing quick responses between the bleached and the color states within 3 s. The PVDF‐co‐HFP composite electrolyte was expected to be effective substitutes for liquid electrolytes used in ECDs.

Application of quasi solid electrolytes in organic based electrochromic devices: A mini review

“…PVDF‐HFP is a unique material with enticing chemical and mechanical properties. It has a crystalline portion (PVDF) which makes it highly chemically stable while the HFP, an amorphous portion, makes it a good ionic conducting plasticizer [60] . Additionally, other materials such as nanoparticles can easily be added to the polymer to further improve its mechanical properties, thermal stability and electrical properties.…”