Effect of LiTFSI Incorporation on the Structural, Electrical, Mechanical and Morphological Properties of PMMA-DES Electrolyte Films

Nurin Afiqah Mohd Azli; Siti Zulaikha Mohd Yusof; Nurul Hanis Syamimi Abdul Fattah

doi:10.56532/mjsat.v6iS1.791

Authors

Nurin Afiqah Mohd Azli Faculty of Applied Science, Universiti Teknologi Mara Cawangan Perlis, Kampus Arau
Siti Zulaikha Mohd Yusof Faculty of Applied Science, Universiti Teknologi Mara Cawangan Perlis, Kampus Arau https://orcid.org/0009-0008-0727-1782
Nurul Hanis Syamimi Abdul Fattah Faculty of Applied Science, Universiti Teknologi Mara Cawangan Perlis, Kampus Arau

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56532/mjsat.v6iS1.791

Keywords:

Solid Polymer Electrolyte, Poly Methy Methacrylate, Lithium Bis(trifluoromethane-sulfonyl)imide, Ionic Conductivity

Abstract

Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) are lightweight, flexible alternatives to liquid electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries, while the limited ionic conductivity and other factors related to morphological stability limit their applicability. In this study, the results were successfully obtained with PMMA-based electrolytes when modified with lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) and a choline chloride/1,3-propanediol deep eutectic solvent (DES). PMMA-LiTFSI-DES thin films were solvent cast and characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), tensile testing, and optical microscopy (OM). FTIR demonstrated strong interactions between the polymer and the salt, with a peak intensity of 98.99% with respect to the absorbance peak for the PMMA10DES sample. EIS showed a significant increase in conductivity from 1.61 × 10⁻⁸ S cm⁻¹ without LiTFSI to 1.76 × 10⁻⁶ S cm⁻¹ with 10 wt.% of LiTFSI content. Tensile testing indicated that PMMA10DES had the highest tensile strength (6.3 MPa) and Young’s modulus (4513 MPa) when comparing separate films. For the morphological study, OM indicated that the DES artificially induced heterogeneous domains and that 10 wt.% LiTFSI allowed a uniformly homogeneous microstructure that was indicative of only very minimal phase separation. Results indicate that the unique combination of effects from combining both DES and low concentration of LiTFSI improved ionic conductivity, mechanical strength, and morphological stability. Therefore, PMMA-based SPEs show exceptional promise for the advancement of solid-state batteries for next-generation applications.

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