Novel Ternary System Based Proton Conducting Polymer Electrolytes Based on Fluorinated Copolymer

Novel ternary brönsted acid-base ionic liquid based polymer electrolyte membranes has been synthesized using various combination of acid, base and different molecular weight polymer (polyvinylidenefluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) in the present study. In-situ synthesis of the ionic liquid within the polymer matrix has been done in order to synthesize the polymer membranes. The membranes were then characterized for their various electrical, thermal and morphological properties. The effect of molecular weight of the polymer on the properties of the ternary electrolytes has also been studied. High room temperature ionic conductivity of the order of 10-2 - 10-3 S/cm has been achieved. The inclusion of ionic liquid into the polymer matrix through in-situ approach has been found to improve the morphology of the electrolyte membranes. Thermal stability of the membranes in excess of 150oC has been observed for certain compositions.