POLYMER ELECTROLYTES WITH MULTIPLE CONDUCTIVE CHANNELS PREPARED FROM NBR SBR LATEX FILMS IMPREGNATED WITH LITHIUM SALT AND PLASTICIZER/

Polymer electrolytes with high ionic conductivity (>10(-3) S/cm) and g ood tensile strength were prepared by swelling poly(acrylonitrile-co-b utadiene) (NBR)/poly(styrene-co-butadiene) (SBR)/LiClO4 latex films wi th gamma-butyrolactone (gamma-BL) or LiClO4/gamma-BL plasticizer. Befo re swelling, the LiClO4 phase is formed at the particle interface. Aft er plasticization, two ion-conductive channels are present: the LiClO4 , phase is present at the interface of the latex particles, and the NB R phase is formed from NBR latex particles. These regions are polar an d impregnated selectively with polar gamma-BL solvent or LiClO4/gamma- BL solution, building primary and secondary ion-conductive channels, r espectively. The SBR phase (formed from SBR latex particles) is nonpol ar and not impregnated, providing a mechanically supportive matrix. Hi gh ionic conductivity on the order of 10(-3) S/cm is achieved when NBR /SBR(50/50)/LiClO4 latex film was saturated with 0.2 to 0.4M LiClO4/ga mma-BL solutions. Various microscopic and macroscopic analyses suggest that two types of ion-conductive channels exist in the polymer electr olyte film.