Conductive behaviour of lithium ions in polyacrylonitrile

The conductivity of lithium ions in polyacrylonitrile (PAN) is examined. Using the d.c. polarization method, the electric transport coefficient was observed to be less than 0.05. X-ray diffraction analysis confirms that PAN-LiClO4 has an amorphous structure. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy results indicate that Li+ ions form bonds not only with the C≡N groups of the PAN, but also with C=O groups of the dimethylformamide. The relationship between conductivity and temperature suggests that the conduction of Li+ ions in PAN is achieved through the polymer backboneʹs segmental motion. Finally, the activation energy of PAN(LiClO4)0.2 is estimated to be 86 kJ/mol.