Poly(vinylidenefluoride)-hexafluoropropylene gel electrolytes based on N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-N-methyl morpholinium ionic liquids

Poly(vinylidenefluoride)-hexafluoropropylene (PVdF(HFP))-ionic liquid gel electrolytes were prepared by using ionic liquids based on N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-N-methyl morpholinium tetrafluoroborate and N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-N-methyl morpholinium hexafluorophosphate. TGA and FT-IR analyses confirmed that the solvent, N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAC), used for mixing the PVdF(HFP) polymer with the ionic liquid, was almost totally removed during the gelling and drying processes. SEM photographs were taken of the surface structure of the PVdF(HFP)-ionic liquid in order to evaluate the morphology of the film’s surface according to the mixing ratio, as well as the nature of the ionic liquid. The thermal behaviors of PVdF(HFP)-ionic liquid gels were observed to be similar to those of neat ionic liquids through a DSC analysis, and the compatibility between the polymer and the ionic liquid was investigated by an XRD analysis. The ionic conductivities of all the gels were 10⁻⁴–10⁻⁸S·cm⁻¹ in a temperature range of 20°C to 70°C.