Effect of Amorphousness Degrees and Intermolecular Interactions between Lithium Perchlorate (LiClO4) and Polylactic Acid (PLA) on the Conductivity PLA-Based Polymer Electrolyte Performance

Background: The polymer electrolyte membrane serves as a separator and electrolyte in an energy storage device. The structural properties of the host polymer electrolyte have a significant impact on the conductivity value. Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of amorphousness and intermolecular interaction degrees between LiClO4 and PLA on the conductivity performance of prepared PLA- based polymer electrolyte film. Methods: The polymer electrolyte film of LiClO4-complexed PLA was prepared with various weight percentages of LiClO4 salt (10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, and 60%) in PLA by using a solution casting technique. Results: PLA with 50% LiClO4 had the highest degree of amorphousness and the highest percentage of interacting carbonyl groups, which resulted in the highest conductivity of 2.56 x 10^-5 S cm^-1. Conclusion: Finally, the optimum composition of LiClO4 for the amorphousness, interaction of carbonyl group and conductivity are obtained, which can be used for further research to improve the conductivity value to apply it into energy storage devices’ development.