Breaking new grounds in Zinc-Air battery research: studying the effects of innovative drying techniques on the structural and electrochemical properties of Carboxymethylcellulose-Chitosan-Citric Acid Hydrogels as Next-Generation Electrolytes

In current times, electrolytes based on polymeric materials have generated great interest due to their possible use as substitutes for liquid electrolytes or in other energy storage device applications. In particular, the use of biopolymers with a focus on sustainability leads to extensive research in this area that still has a lot of work to do. This thesis collects the work included in three articles published in prestigious scientific journals. They reflect the review of the state-of-the-art in the area of polymer electrolytes for zinc and magnesium batteries. In addition, the synthesis and characterization of new hydrogels as electrolytes based on chitosan, carboxymethylcellulose, and different concentrations of citric acid chemical crosslinker is presented. Subsequently, a modification in the synthesis process of the previously prepared hydrogels is proposed to use freezing strategies that enhance the properties required in the membranes to be applicable as electrolytes for zinc-air batteries. The resulting materials have demonstrated adequate structural and thermal properties. In addition, they have obtained remarkable ionic conductivity values of up to 0.39 S∙cm‒1, and battery discharge capacity of 1899 mA∙h g‒1, setting a precedent for the next generation of biomaterials with energy applications.

• Autor Principal: Bósquez Cáceres, María Fernanda (author)
• Formato: bachelorThesis
• Idioma: eng
• Publicado: 2023
• Subjects: Electrolitos poliméricos; Biopolímeros; Técnicas de entrecruzamiento; Polymer electrolytes; Biopolymers; Crosslinking techniques
• Acceso en liña: http://repositorio.yachaytech.edu.ec/handle/123456789/625