SAXS Studies of TiO(2) Nanoparticles in Polymer Electrolytes and in Nanostructured Films

Polymer electrolytes as nanostructured materials are very attractive components for batteries and opto-electronic devices. (PEO)(8)ZnCl(2) polymer electrolytes were prepared from PEO and ZnCl(2). The nanocomposites (PEO)(8)ZnCl(2)/TiO(2) themselves contained TiO(2) nanograins. In this work, the influence of the TiO(2) nanograins on the morphology and ionic conductivity of the nanocomposite was systematically studied by transmission small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) simultaneously recorded with wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) at the synchrotron ELETTRA. Films containing nanosized grains of titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) are widely used in the research of optical and photovoltaic devices. The TiO(2) films, prepared by chemical vapor deposition and e-beam epitaxy, were annealed in hydrogen atmospheres in the temperature range between 20 °C and 900 °C in order to study anatase-rutile phase transition at 740 °C. Also, grazing-incidence small angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) spectra for each TiO(2) film were measured in reflection geometry at different grazing incident angles. Environmentally friendly galvanic cells, as well as solar cells of the second generation, are to be constructed with TiO(2) film as working electrode, and nanocomposite polymer as electrolyte.