Transport in associated polymer electrolytes

The influence of ion association on the measurement of transport in polymer electrolytes by the Hittorf, EMF, centrifugal, radio-tracer, PFGNMR, ac and dc polarisation, methods is described so that the information which may be extracted from measurements using each technique may be understood. The response of a binary solid electrolyte to a dc polarisation is described in some detail, followed by a discussion of why such measurements are amongst the most valuable for evaluating the practical utility of a polymer electrolyte in electrochemical devices and are capable of revealing the fundamental nature of ion association. Finally dc polarisation results are presented for the poly (ethylene oxide): LiClO₄ system and a possible model of ion association is presented. © 1990.