The EDLC Energy Storage Device Based on a Natural Gelatin (NG) Biopolymer: Tuning the Capacitance through Plasticizer Variation

Polymers (Basel). 2022 Nov 21;14(22):5044. doi: 10.3390/polym14225044.

Abstract

A solution casting method has been utilisedto fabricate plasticisednatural gelatin (NG)-based polymer electrolyte films. The NG electrolyte with 50 wt.% glycerol and 13 wt.% sodium nitrate (NaNO3) attained the highest ionic conductivity of 1.67 × 10-4 S cm-1. Numerous techniques were used to characterisethe NG films to assess their electrochemical performance. The data obtained from impedance spectroscopy for the plasticisedsystem, such as bulk resistance (Rb), arerelatively low. Thiscomprehensive study has been focused on dielectric characteristics and electric modulus parameters. The plasticisedsystem has shown eligibility for practice in energy storage devices with electrochemical strength up to 2.85 V. The TNM data based on ion transference number (tion) and electron transference number (te) determine the identity of the main charge carrier, ion. The redox peaks in the cyclic voltammograms have not been observed as evidence of charge accumulation other than the Faradaic process at the electrode-electrolyte interface. The GCD plot reveals a triangle shape and records arelatively low drop voltage. The high average efficiency of 90% with low ESR has been achieved over 500 cycles, indicating compatibility between electrolyte and electrode. The average power density and energy density of the plasticisedare 700 W/kg and 8 Wh/kg, respectively.

Keywords: CV and GCD; EIS; LSV and TNM; NaNO3 salt; energy storage device; glycerol plasticizer; natural polymer.

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.