DOI: https://doi.org/10.55373/mjchem.v28i2.163

Keywords: Polymer blend, polymer electrolytes, pectin, tamarind seed polysaccharide, carrageenan.

Abstract

This study aims to develop a superior polymer electrolyte by blending natural polymers, tamarind seed polysaccharide (TSP) and pectin, with carrageenan to overcome the issue of film brittleness caused by hydrogen bonding. Using solvent casting technique, TSP and pectin with different ratios of carrageenan (0:100, 20:80, 40:60, 60:40, 80:20, and 100:0) were prepared. This work successfully produced flexible, free-standing TSP/carrageenan and pectin/carrageenan blend films at an optimal 40:60 ratio which showed increased tensile strain and improved flexibility, demonstrating the synergistic effect. This is attributed to the interaction between the blended polymers, as confirmed by FTIR analysis, which inhibits the formation of hydrogen bonds. The improved flexibility also contributes to enhanced ionic conductivity. Incorporating 15 wt% of lithium triflate (LiTf) salt into the pectin/carrageenan blend system boosted ionic conductivity by one order of magnitude, from 6.58 × 10^–7 S cm^–1 to 2.95 × 10^–6 S cm^–1. This enhancement is due to the presence of conducting species from the salt and the creation of new ion pathways, as confirmed by the optical micrograph.