Ionically conducting side chain liquid crystal polymer electrolytes

• Published in: Electrochimica acta Vol. 43; no. 10; pp. 1151 - 1154
• Main Authors: McHattie, Gillian S., Imrie, Corrie T., Ingram, Malcolm D.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.01.1998; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Chemistry; conduction mechanism; Electrical, magnetic and optical properties; Electrochemistry; Exact sciences and technology; General and physical chemistry; ionic conductivity; liquid crystal; Organic polymers; Physicochemistry of polymers; polymer electrolyte; Properties and characterization; Properties of electrolytes: conductivity; ionic conductivity; liquid crystal; conduction mechanism; polymer electrolyte; Side chain; Electrical properties; Biphenyl derivatives; Liquid crystal polymers; Lithium Perchlorates; Ionic conductivity; Ester polymer; Polymer solid electrolyte; Experimental study
• ISSN: 0013-4686; 1873-3859
• DOI: 10.1016/S0013-4686(97)10013-5

The synthesis and characterisation is described of a new liquid crystalline side-chain polymer based on a predominantly poly(ethylene oxide) backbone attached to which via flexible spacers are mesogenic groups. The thermal behaviour and ionic conductivities of this polymer and its complex with LiClO 4 are compared to those of a structurally analogous but amorphous polymer. The variation of the ionic conductivity as a function of scaled inverse temperature ( T g/ T) differs for the two systems. For the amorphous complex the ionic mobility is coupled to structural relaxations of the polymer and becomes very small at T g. By contrast for the liquid crystalline complex there appears to be a decoupling of the ion motions from structural relaxations. This remarkable observation is thought to imply a new conduction mechanism.