Ionic Conductivity via Quantum Mechanical Tunneling in NH4NO3 Doped Carboxymethyl Cellulose Solid Biopolymer Electrolytes

Carboxymethyl cellulose–NH4NO3 solid biopolymer electrolyte films were prepared by solution casting technique. Ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) with 5–50 wt.% were dissolved in disparate carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) solution, respectively. The electrical properties and conduction mechanism of electrolyte films have been revealed by employing electrical impedance spectroscopy in the frequency range of 50 Hz to 1 MHz within the temperature range of 303 K to 353 K. The ionic conductivity was observed to be influenced by the NH4NO3 concentration. The conductivity–temperature relationship is Arrhenius. From dielectric loss variation with frequency, the power law exponent was obtained. The temperature dependence of the power law exponent for CMC– NH4NO3 system can be represented by the quantum mechanical tunneling (QMT) model.