DOI: https://doi.org/10.55373/mjchem.v27i3.277

Keywords: 30% PMMA-g-NR; NH₄NO₃; EIS; ATR-FTIR

Abstract

Given the mounting popularity of energy storage demands, there is an escalating focus on investigating polymer electrolytes (PEs) based on natural rubber (NR) due to their eco-friendly nature and low-cost production. The 30% poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) grafted onto natural rubber (NR), also known as (MG30) is an excellent alternative of polymer host with prominent properties such as flexibility that allow fantastic electrode-electrolyte contact, but the modified natural polymer possess low ionic conductivity. Therefore, introducing dopant salt forming a polymer host-salt system is one of the ways to tackle this challenge. This study centered around solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) of MG30, produced via solution casting method while doping different concentrations of NH₄NO₃ (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 wt.%). Attenuated total reflectance – Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) spectra changes in peak intensity, wavenumber shifting, emergence of new peak, justifying the polymer host-inorganic salt interaction. AC impedance spectroscopy is utilized to heighten the conductivity of the MG30-NH₄NO₃ samples, in which the incorporation of NH₄NO₃ into the polymer matrix enhanced the ionic conductivity up 6.36 × 10^-6 S cm^-1 at room temperature for the sample composition MG30(70):NH₄NO₃(30).