Tailoring physical, electrochemical, mechanical and thermal properties of PPC-PVdF blend electrolyte: A synergistic effect of LIBOB salt and EC plasticizer

• The addition of 8 wt. % LIBOB and 40 wt. % EC to the PPC-PVdF polymer electrolyte achieved high ionic conductivities of 2.243 × 10⁻⁴ S/cm and 2.603 × 10⁻³ S/cm. • Electrochemical stability extended up to 4 V and 5 V respectively. • Optimized samples exhibited electrolyte uptake of 224.45 % and 227.71 %. • The synergistic influence of LIBOB and EC on the PPC-PVdF matrix was systematically analysed. This study explores the impact of lithium bis(oxalate) borate (LIBOB) salt and Ethylene carbonate (EC) plasticizer on the electrochemical properties of Poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC)-Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVdF) blend polymer electrolytes. By varying the LIBOB and EC concentrations, the optimal blend composition was identified as 8 wt. % LIBOB and 40 wt. % EC with high ionic conductivity of 2.243 × 10 –4 Scm⁻¹ and 2.603 × 10 –3 S cm⁻¹ at room temperature, while maintaining electrochemical stability up to 4 V and 5 V, respectively.The porosity of a polymer electrolyte plays a crucial role in its electrolyte uptake.The enhanced ionic conductivity is attributed to increased electrolyte uptake 224.45 % and 227.71 %.The further addition of EC plasticizer to the PPC-PVdF-LIBOB blend polymer electrolyte increases the electrolyte uptake, leading to improved ionic conductivity. Thermal analysis revealed PPC-PVdF blend polymer electrolyte with 8 wt. % LIBOB remains stable up to 205 °C.The thermal stability of the EC-containing PPC-PVdF-LIBOB blend polymer electrolyte is stable up to 150 °C.Various characterization techniques were employed to elucidate the structural, physical and electrochemical properties of the polymer electrolytes. The result shows that the prepared polymer blend electrolytes are promising materials for electrochemical storage devices.