The High-Performance Polymer Electrolytes Based on Agarose–Mg(ClO4)2 for Application in Electrochemical Energy Storage Devices

Abstract

Electrochemical energy storage devices (EES) such as batteries and supercapacitors depend significantly on electrolytes, which have properties that significantly impact their energy capacity, rate performance, cyclability, and safety. Agarose–Mg(ClO4)2–based polymer electrolyte was prepared using the solution casting method by incorporating various amounts of Mg(ClO4)2 from 0 – 35 wt%. The presence of Mg(ClO4)2 as the dopant in agarose-matrix enhanced the ionic conductivity of the system from 1.796 × 10-8 S∙cm-1 to 6.247 × 10-4 S∙cm−1 in the composition of 30 wt% Mg(ClO4)2 due to the production of free ions. This system obeys the Arrhenius rule as it records the conductivity increment when temperature increases. This increment shows the amorphous nature of electrolytes, which XRD analyses by determining the crystallite size and degree of crystallinity of agarose–Mg(ClO4)2 polymer electrolyte. High ionic conductivity at room temperature has increased attention to this polymer electrolyte based on agarose–Mg(ClO4)2.