A generalized scaling model for ionic conductivity in gel polymer electrolytes: roles of polymer molecular weight and electrolyte content
摘要
Gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) are promising materials for flexible and solid-state electrochemical devices, yet a unified description of how polymer molecular weight (Mw) influences ionic conductivity remains limited. In this work, a generalized scaling-based model is proposed to decouple and quantify the independent effects of polymer molecular weight and electrolyte content on ion transport. Previously reported impedance data for poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-based GPEs containing H₃PO₄ and KCl are reanalyzed within this framework. At fixed electrolyte content, ionic conductivity follows a power-law dependence on Mw with a consistent scaling exponent of α ≈ 0.34–0.35, indicating strong coupling between ion transport and polymer segmental dynamics. At fixed Mw, increasing electrolyte content leads to an exponential dependence in conductivity governed by a plasticization parameter β, reflecting increased ion availability, enhanced free volume, and reduced structural constraints. The proposed model is further evaluated against independent gel polymer electrolyte systems reported in the literature, including PMMA- and PEO-based electrolytes, and demonstrates excellent agreement across different polymer chemistries and concentration regimes. Despite variations in transport mechanisms, the model captures the dominant conductivity trends with physically meaningful parameters. Overall, this scaling framework provides a compact and generalizable approach for analyzing, comparing, and designing gel polymer electrolytes.