Introduction to polymer electrolyte materials

SEQUEIRA and D. M. F. SANTOS, Technical ETniversity of Lisbon, Portugal 

Abstract Polymer electrolytes are electrolytic materials that offer many advantages in the area of large, high energy density batteries for electric propulsion and in fuel cells for electric vehicle or stationary applications. At the other end of the spectrnm, polymer electrolytes are of interest for small, portable electronic devices where the battery represents a significant proportion of the device s size and weight. This chapter focuses on relevant structural, physical and electrical properties of these materials and on the related sectors where there has been considerable industrial input. 

Key words polymer electrolyte classes, polymer electrolyte properties, batteries, fuel cells and capacitors, photoelectro chemical devices, electrochromic applications. 

Polymers are at the forefront of the materials revolution their uses are expected to grow at a faster rate (-15% per year) than that of any other structural compound. This trend may even be accentuated as polymers with new functionalities appear. We shall discuss here polymers having electrolyte properties for which important applications are foreseen. 

The ionic conductivity of polymer electrolytes is typically 100 to 1000 times less than exhibited by a liquid- or ceramic-based electrolyte. Although higher conductivities are preferable, and indeed a great deal of effort has gone into improving the bulk conductivity of polymer electrolytes over the years, 100-fold or 1000-fold increases are not essential, as a thin film electrochemical cell configuration can largely compensate for the lower values. 

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Introduction to polymer electrolyte materials 15 Table 1.3 Polymer electrolyte membranes water uptake... 

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