Studies on ionic conductivity, linear and non-linear optical properties of ecofriendly methyl cellulose: sodium bromide based solid polymer blend electrolytes

Biopolymer electrolytes based on methyl cellulose (MC) and sodium bromide(NaBr) have been prepared through solvent casting technique. Both the concentrations of MC and NaBr are varied. The prepared biopolymer electrolytes have been subjected to AC impedance and UV-Vis spectroscopic techniques. The ionic conductivity reached a maximum value of 4.84 × 10⁻⁸ Scm⁻¹ for 0.8 g of MC and 0.2 g of NaBr. UV studies revealed that low direct and indirect band gaps have been observed for the maximum ionic conducting sample. Other optical parameters, such as refractive index, extinction coefficient, skin depth, and optical conductivity, have been estimated. The single-oscillator energy (E o) and dispersion energy (E d) for all the prepared biopolymer electrolyte samples were calculated with the help of Wemple and DiDomenico single oscillator model. The higher-order non-linear susceptibility values were also calculated. Polymer electrolytes are found to be suitable for optical and electronic devices.