A systematic study of structure-property relations has been carried out on a range of polymers, both with and without mesogenic moieties. These materials have been characterised using various thermal techniques, including DSC and DMTA. These polymers have been complexed with LiClO<sub>4</sub> and the effects of the salt on thermal characteristics have been investigated. In addition, AC impedance spectroscopy has been employed to determine the temperature dependence of the conductivity of these complexes. Results suggest that polymers with mesogenic side groups have the potential to exhibit a conduction mechanism which is independent of both the glass transition temperature of the complex as determined by DSC and the corresponding structural relaxation detected using DMTA. It is found that the glass transition temperature of these materials is determined primarily by the side groups, and not by the polymer backbone. A model is thereby proposed in which ionic motion is decoupled from Tg, but still dependent on the local viscosity of the ionic environment. Appreciable conductivity is therefore observed below the glass transition temperature of the complex, thus resulting in dimensionally stable polymeric complexes with possible applications as solid state electrolytes in batteries.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:324432 |
| Date | January 1997 |
| Creators | McHattie, Gillian S. |
| Publisher | University of Aberdeen |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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