Polymer electrolyte based on DNA and N,N,N-trimethyl-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)ammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide

Combining ionic liquids (ILs) with polymers offers the prospect of new applications, where they surpass the performance of conventional media, such as organic solvents, giving advantages in terms of improved safety and a higher operating temperature range. In this work we have investigated the morphology, thermal and electrochemical properties of polymer electrolytes prepared through the addition of con- trolled quantities of the cholinium based IL N,N,N-trimethyl-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)ammonium bis(trifluo- romethylsulfonyl)imide ([N1 1 1 2(OH)] [NTf2]) to a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) host network. These novel IL-based electrolytes have been analyzed aiming at applications in electrochemical devices. An optimized sample showed good thermal stability up to 155 °C and a wide electrochemical window of ~3.5 V. The highest conductivity was registered for the DNA[N1 1 1 2(OH)][NTf2] (1:1) (2.82 × 10-5 and 1.09 × 10-3 S cm-1 at 30 and 100 °C, respectively).

The authors are pleased to acknowledge the financial support provided by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) and FEDER (No. F-COMP 01-0124-FEDER-037302) through the COMPETE Program in the framework of the Strategic Project (PEst-C/QUI/UI0686/2013, PEst-OE/QUI/UI0616/2014 and PEst- OE/EQB/LA0004/2013), project PTDC/CTM-NAN/121274/2010 and COST Action MP1202 ‘‘Rational design of hybrid organic-inorganic interfaces’’. R. Leones and J. M. S. S. Esperança acknowledge FCT for a PhD grant (SFRH/BD/90366/2012) and a contract under the Investigator FCT program. The authors are also indebted to CNPq, FAPESP and CAPES for the financial support given to this research. M. M. Silva acknowledges to CNPq, and SFRH/BSAB/1312/2013 for the financial support given to this research.