AbstractIonically conducting materials containing PEO were prepared from telechelic di(methyl-diethoxy-silane) PEO, synthesized by the hydrosilylation of telechelic diallyl-PEO with methyldiethoxysilane. The network is obtained by the usual sol-gel chemistry. Then, it is filled with LiClO4 by diffusion of the salt and further drying. A comparison is made with the same kind of materials crosslinked using urethane chemistry. Diffusion studies show that the diffusion coefficient of solvent is similar for both types of materials, whilst the ionic conductivity is higher for the networks crosslinked with siloxane bonds. An experiment of diffusion of LiClO4 without solvent showed that this salt has a diffusion coefficient of the order of 2.10-8 cm2.sec-1 at 34°C. The conductivity calculated from this determination is compatible with the mechanism of lithium cation transport by the diffusion of salt molecules. Elasticity modulus measurements show that the salt aggregates are essentially located within the crosslinks at low concentration, but also in the PEO chains for salt concentrations higher than 1 mol/l.
