Size effect of cubic ZrO2 nanoparticles on ionic conductivity of polyethylene oxide-based composite

A solvent free solid composite polymer electrolyte (SCPE) film consisting of high molecular mass polyethylene oxide (PEO) with sodium perchlorate (NaClO4) as electrolytic salt and cubic zirconium oxide (ZrO2) nanoparticles as the filler has been prepared by solution casting technique to influence the transport properties. X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirm the formation of the SCPE film, whereas atomic force microscopy reveals the presence of a network of interconnected nanoparticles forming uniform surface feature of relatively low roughness. The highest ionic conductivity (σ = 6.96 × 10-5 S-cm-1) for PEO25 - NaClO4 with 5 wt. % ZrO2 nanoparticles of the smallest size 4.5 nm is an order of magnitude higher than the pure PEO25 - NaClO4 at room temperature. The conductivity enhancement is due to the creation of additional sites and favorable conduction pathways for ionic transport through Lewis acid-base type interactions between the polar surface groups of the ceramic fi...