Interaction mechanism of a novel polymer electrolyte composed of poly(acrylonitrile), lithium triflate, and mineral clay

The addition of optimum cetyl pyridium chloride (CPC)-modified montmorillon ite (CM) increases the ionic conductivity of poly(acrylonitrile)-based elec trolytes by roughly two orders of magnitude. Specific interactions between the silicate layer, the nitrile group, and the lithium cation were investig ated by FTIR, solid-state NMR, dielectric analyzer, and alternating current impedance. IR and NMR spectra confirm that the negative charges in the sil icate layers alter the ionic charge environment of the PAN-based electrolyt e composites, which have the same function as the polar group in PAN. The o ptimum CM content to achieve the maximum ionic conductivity is 6 phr. Howev er, untreated montmorillonite leads to insignificant polymer intercalation, the negative charges in the silicate layers fail to appreciably disturb th e attractive force of the lithium salt, and the resulting conductivity impr ovement is also less than that of the CM additives. (C) 2001 John Wiley & S ons, Inc.