Morphology and ionic conductivity of thermoplastic polyurethane electrolytes

Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) with a mixture of soft segments [poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and poly(tetramethylene glycol) (PTMG)], denoted TPU-M, was prepared as an ion-conducting polymer electrolyte. TPUs with PEG and PTMG as soft segments were also synthesized individually as polymer electrolytes. The changes in the morphology and ion conductivity of the phase-segregated TPU-based polymer electrolytes as a function of the lithium perchlorate concentration were determined with differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, alternating-current impedance, and linear sweep voltammetry measurements. Both solid and gelatinous polymer electrolytes were characterized in this study. The effect of temperature on conductivity was studied. The conductivity changes revealed the combined influence of PTMG and PEG units in TPU-M. The swelling characteristics in a liquid electrolyte and the dimensional stability were evaluated for the three TPUs. Because of its dimensional stability and ionic conductivity, the TPU system containing both PEG and PTMG as soft segments was found to be more suitable for electrolyte applications. A room-temperature conductivity of approximately 1 × 10−4 was found for TPU-M containing 50 wt % liquid electrolyte. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 1154–1167, 2004