The effect of the length of the oxyethylene chain on the conductivity of the polyurethaneurea electrolyte

Polyurethaneureas (PUU), which were synthesized from 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), and 3,5-diaminobanzoic acid (DABA), were used as polyelectrolytes in this study. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) were used to monitor the effect of the various kinds of PEG on the changes in morphology of PUU electrolytes corresponding to the concentration of lithium perchlorate (LiClO₄) dopants. The results of DSC and FT-IR indicate the Li⁺ ions coordinate with the soft and hard segments. Additionally, the crystallinity of the PEG soft segment and the ordered hydrogen-bonded urea carbonyl groups decreased with increasing salt concentration. Impedance spectroscopy (IS) measurements show that the PUU electrolyte with the high phase separation degree has the high ionic conductivity. The hard-segment T_g and the soft-segment T_m influence the conductivity behavior of polyelectrolytes with increasing measurement temperature.