Structural, vibrational, thermal, and electrical properties of PVA/PVP biodegradable polymer blend electrolyte with CH₃COONH₄

A biodegradable solid polymer blend electrolyte was prepared by using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) polymers with different molecular weight percentages (wt.%) of ammonium acetate, and its structural, thermal, vibrational, and electrical properties were evaluated. The polymer blend electrolyte is prepared using solution casting technique, with water as a solvent. X-ray diffraction shows that the incorporation of ammonium acetate into the polymeric matrix causes decrease in the crystallinity degree of the samples. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and laser Raman studies confirm the complex formation between the polymer and salt. Differential scanning calorimerty shows that the thermal stability of the polymer blend electrolyte and the glass transition temperature decreased as the concentration of ammonium acetate increased. The ionic conductivity of the prepared polymer electrolyte was found by AC impedance spectroscopic analysis. A maximum conductivity of 8.12 × 10^-5 Scm^-1 was observed for the composition of 50 PVA/50 PVP/30 wt.% of CH₃COONH₄.