Proton ion-conducting polymer electrolytes added with SiO₂ nanoparticles: conductivity, dielectric, relaxation, and physical studies

In the present study, a proton-conducting nanocomposite polymer electrolyte system based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) containing ammonium acetate (NH₄CH₃CO₂) salt and silicon dioxide (SiO₂) nanoparticles is prepared using standard solution casting technique. Conductivity, dielectric, and modulus properties of prepared electrolyte films show significant changes in electrochemical behavior on varying SiO₂ concentration. The optimized polymer electrolyte film with 10 wt% of SiO₂ filler shows ionic conductivity of ~ 5.1 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹, total ion transport number as ~ 0.99, and electrochemical stability window as 3.6 V at room temperature. The morphological studies reveal porous structure while the thermal studies confirm no melting feature till 205 °C for the fabricate electrolyte films. Perhaps the optimized proton-conducting nanocomposite polymer electrolyte is suitable for application in electrochemical device, especially in proton-based batteries.