MRI: Acquisition of Instrumentation for Ionic Conductivity Studies of Polymeric Electrolytes

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With support from the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program, the Department of Chemistry at Grinnell College will acquire an electrochemical impedance instrument and a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The electrochemical impedance instrument will enable the principal investigator and undergraduates at Grinnell to carry out ionic conductivity studies of polymeric electrolytes; the DSC will facilitate the measurement of the thermal properties of the electrolytes. Differential Scanning Calorimetry is an extremely useful tool in modern analytical chemistry. Calorimetric analysis is used to measure the thermal energy (heat) exchange that occurs during molecular interactions and reactions. Thus DSC provides a very reliable and sensitive method for determining thermodynamic properties of materials such as changes in heat capacity of liquid and solid samples. Impedance spectroscopy measures the alternating current resistance, i.e., the impedance, of a sample as a function of frequency. Knowledge of thermodynamic properties and impedances is crucial to understanding the behavior of materials, such as polymer electrolytes, that show promise in microelectronics and lightweight, small batteries.