Ion Hopping‐Driven Conductivity in Guar Gum‐Based Polymer Electrolytes

ABSTRACT In this work, a sustainable gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) was fabricated through a dissolution technique, employing guar gum (GG) as the host polymer, sodium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (NaTFSI) as the ionic dopant, and 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium chloride ([Bmim]Cl) as the plasticizing agent. The optimized formulation, identified as S3 with 6 wt.% NaTFSI, achieved a notable ionic conductivity of approximately 10 −3 S cm −1 at ambient temperature. Analysis of the Nyquist plot, supported by impedance spectroscopy, indicated that the conductivity enhancement was associated with the increased density and mobility of available charge carriers. Frequency‐dependent conductivity investigations revealed higher dielectric constants and pronounced dielectric losses in the low‐frequency region, attributed to interfacial polarization. Conversely, the modulus profile (M r , M i ) indicated conductivity relaxation at elevated frequencies, suggesting a hopping conduction mechanism. Further analysis revealed that the ion transport characteristics were consistent with the Quantum Mechanical Tunneling (QMT) model in the low‐frequency domain and the Correlated Barrier Hopping (CBH) model at higher frequencies. These observations suggest the potential of the optimized GPE for advanced energy storage applications, where efficient ion dynamics play a crucial role.