Plasticizing effect of 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride in cellulose acetate based polymer electrolytes

1-Allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride, [Amim] Cl was used to improve the stability and disrupt the crystallinity of the matrix formed between cellulose acetate (CA) and lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) by solution casting technique. The sample composition of CA:LiTFSI:[Amim] Cl (14 wt.%:6 wt.%:80 wt.%) exhibits the highest ionic conductivity and has greater ability to retain minimum reduction value of 1.75 × 10⁻³ S cm⁻¹ even after 30 days of storage at room temperature. Increase in [Amim] Cl doping induces greater structural disorderliness which is revealed by the XRD analysis. This is due to the complexation between the added constituents evident from the variation in FTIR spectra. The relaxation time of Li⁺ ions is reduced due to the increase in amorphous region as observed by the shift of loss tangent peaks to higher frequencies and thus enhancing the ionic conductivity.