Investigation of structural and electrical properties of a biopolymer materials with its potential application in solid-state batteries

Large-scale energy storage systems with low cost and high performance are needed to allow transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy systems. Solid-state sodium-ion battery is considered as the new generation to replace the commercial lithium-ion battery, due to the abundant sodium resources, cheaper and safer. In this work, new solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) based on corn starch was prepared with a different percentage of sodium bisulfite (NaHSO 3 ) salt via solution casting technique. The SPE was found in an amorphous state and confirmed by using the XRD analyses. The electrical properties of prepared SPE film have been analyzed through electrical impedance spectroscopy and battery analyzer. The highest ionic conductivity is 2.22 × 10 –4 Scm −1 at room temperature for a sample containing 15 wt.% NaHSO 3 and being used in primary sodium battery fabrication. The cell produced an open circuit voltage of 1.55 V at ambient temperature and discharge characteristics were studied. It is believed that the excellent contribution from the as-prepared electrolyte presents a high potential to be a new innovation in fabrication of energy storage applications.