Impedance studies on poly(acrylonitrile)–dimethylsulfoxide–AgX (X=Cl, Br, I) gel electrolytes

A series of poly(acrylonitrile)–dimethylsulfoxide–AgX (PAN–DMSO–AgX, where X=Cl, Br, I) gel-type solid polymer electrolytes was synthesised. The bulk conductance, obtained from the complex impedance spectra, is of the order of 10−4 Ω−1 cm−1. The temperature dependence of the conductivity is of the Arrhenius type: σ=A exp(−E≠/RT). The linear plots ln σ=f(T−1) give the activation energy, which is of the order of 19 kJ mol−1 for the PAN–DMSO–AgCl and PAN–DMSO–AgBr systems and ca. 25 kJ mol−1 for the PAN–DMSO–AgI system. The activation energies for the corresponding solid electrolytes containing additionally NaX salt are somewhat higher (about 3 kJ mol−1). PAN–DMSO–AgCl foils tend to decompose slowly with visible precipitation of metallic silver; the remaining foils are stable even if exposed to light.