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A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2020) | Viewed by 64117

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Prof. Dr. Jung Kyu Kim

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School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), Suwon, Republic of Korea
Interests: heterojunctions with tailored nanostructures; nanocarbons; conductive polymers; photoelectrochemical cells; solar fuels; electrocatalysis; electrochemistry; polymer optoelectronics; organic-inorganic hybrid solar cells; perovskite solar cells
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Due to the rapidly changing global climate and numerous environmental issues, the development of renewable energies and their storage with sustainability is highly desired. In recent years, polymers and their applications have recently received significant interest as a reliable approach for achieving sustainable energy storage and conversion. The use of polymers for the energy storage and conversion has been investigated intensely over the past few decades such as dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC), organic photovoltaics (OSC), perovskite solar cells (PSC), fuel cells, and secondary batteries.

This Special Issue “Polymers for Energy Storage and Conversion” covers the nanostructured polymers (or nano-polymers) and engineering of device architecture with an advanced polymer-based process for divergent energy storage and conversion applications with high sustainability involving solar energy systems, electrochemical cells, photocatalysts, artificial photosynthesis, fuel cells, supercapacitors, CO₂ conversions, or secondary (rechargeable) batteries. The scope of interests includes but is not limited to the following topics:

Organic, inorganic, or hybrid solar cells (i.e., organic (or polymer) solar cells, dye (or QD) sensitized solar cells, thin-film solar cells, and perovskite solar cells);
Solar fuel productions (i.e., artificial photosynthesis, photocatalysts, and photoelectrochemical cells);
Electrocatalysts for electrochemical water splitting, CO₂ reduction, or ammonia (NH₃) synthesis;
Electrode and membrane materials for fuel cells, capacitors, and secondary batteries;
Nano-sciences and technologies for energy storage and conversion devices;
The manufacturing process for energy storage and conversion devices;
The engineering of device architecture and structure design for efficient energy storage and conversion.

Particularly, this Special Issue calls for papers on advanced polymer materials, the modulation of polymers and device architectures promoting high capability of energy storage, and efficient energy conversion.

Prof. Dr. Jung Kyu Kim
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Polymer-based solar cells
Polymers for energy storage devices
Polymers for photochemical conversions
Modulation of polymer materials
Polymer-based electrolytes
Optoelectronic characterization of polymers
Polymer-based nanostructures

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Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 11549 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Promotion of Ionic Conductivity of PEO-Based Solid Electrolyte Using Ultrasonic Vibration

by Hui Wang, Xiaodong Cui, Cong Zhang, Huang Gao, Wei Du and Yizhe Chen

Polymers 2020, 12(9), 1889; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12091889 - 21 Aug 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4291

Abstract

All solid-state lithium-ion batteries based on polymer electrolytes have higher safety and energy density, but the low conductivity of lithium ion restricts its application. This study proposes a new method to promote the ionic conductivity of polyethylene oxide (PEO)-based solid electrolytes. In this method, the PEO-based solid electrolyte was first prepared by casting, and then power ultrasound was exerted on the electrolyte by a sandwich structure to modify the electrolyte structure. Through analysis of the performance and microstructure of the electrolyte, it was found that the ultrasonic treatment increased the ionic conductivity by 78%, improved tensile strength and plastic deformation ability, but did not affect the thermal stability and the chemical composition. The ultrasonic vibration, exerting high energy to the solid electrolyte through high-frequency vibration, broke PEO grains and melted them with the frictional heat at boundary. Due to the slight melting and fast solidifying produced by the pulsed ultrasonic treatment, the crystallization was suppressed. The crystallinity was thus reduced by 6.2%, which increased the migration channels of lithium ions and reduced the tortuosity effect. Furthermore, the ultrasonic vibration compressed the electrolyte to produce plastic flow of the material, which made the electrolyte structure more compact. The density of ethylene oxide (EO) units thus increased in the amorphous phase, providing multiple electron-donor coordination sites for the Li⁺. The hopping distance of the ion between donors decreased, which also facilitated the migration. In addition, the mechanical performance of the electrolyte membrane improved. This study provides a reference for the improvement of polymer based all-solid-state batteries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Energy Storage and Conversion)

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9 pages, 851 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Metal-Organic Decomposition-Mediated Nanoparticulate Vanadium Oxide Hole Transporting Buffer Layer for Polymer Bulk-Heterojunction Solar Cells

by Chengkai Xia, Won Tae Hong, Young Eun Kim, Woo-Seok Choe, Dong-Hwan Kim and Jung Kyu Kim

Polymers 2020, 12(8), 1791; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12081791 - 10 Aug 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3307

Abstract

In this study, a solution-processable compact vanadium oxide (V₂O₅) film with a globular nanoparticulate structure is introduced to the hole transport layer (HTL) of polymer bulk-heterojunction based solar cells comprised of PTB7:PC₇₀BM by using a facile metal-organic decomposition method to replace the conventionally utilized poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS). For this, a biocompatible structure-determining agent, polyethylene glycol (PEG, M_n 300), is used as an additive in the precursor to form the nanoparticulate compact V₂O₅ (hereafter referred to as NP-V₂O₅) film, which possesses an outstandingly smooth surface morphology. The introduction of NP-V₂O₅ HTL via the solution process with a neutral pH condition successfully improved the stability by preventing the decomposition of indium tin oxide (ITO) glass and the penetration of heavy-metal components and moisture, which are considered as the crucial drawbacks of using PEDOT:PSS. Over 1440 h (60 days) of the stability test, an organic solar cell (OSC) with NP-V₂O₅ showed a significant durability, maintaining 82% of its initial power conversion efficiency (PCE), whereas an OSC with PEDOT:PSS maintained 51% of its initial PCE. Furthermore, due to the positive effects of the modified surface properties of NP-V₂O₅, the PCE was slightly enhanced from 7.47% to 7.89% with a significant improvement in the short-circuit current density and fill factor. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Energy Storage and Conversion)

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20 pages, 4888 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Glycerolized Li⁺ Ion Conducting Chitosan-Based Polymer Electrolyte for Energy Storage EDLC Device Applications with Relatively High Energy Density

by Ahmed S. F. M. Asnawi, Shujahadeen B. Aziz, Muaffaq M. Nofal, Muhamad H. Hamsan, Mohamad A. Brza, Yuhanees M. Yusof, Rebar T. Abdilwahid, Saifful K. Muzakir and Mohd F. Z. Kadir

Polymers 2020, 12(6), 1433; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12061433 - 26 Jun 2020

Cited by 55 | Viewed by 4598

Abstract

In this study, the solution casting method was employed to prepare plasticized polymer electrolytes of chitosan (CS):LiCO₂CH₃:Glycerol with electrochemical stability (1.8 V). The electrolyte studied in this current work could be established as new materials in the fabrication of EDLC with high specific capacitance and energy density. The system with high dielectric constant was also associated with high DC conductivity (5.19 × 10⁻⁴ S/cm). The increase of the amorphous phase upon the addition of glycerol was observed from XRD results. The main charge carrier in the polymer electrolyte was ion as t_el (0.044) < t_ion (0.956). Cyclic voltammetry presented an almost rectangular plot with the absence of a Faradaic peak. Specific capacitance was found to be dependent on the scan rate used. The efficiency of the EDLC was observed to remain constant at 98.8% to 99.5% up to 700 cycles, portraying an excellent cyclability. High values of specific capacitance, energy density, and power density were achieved, such as 132.8 F/g, 18.4 Wh/kg, and 2591 W/kg, respectively. The low equivalent series resistance (ESR) indicated that the EDLC possessed good electrolyte/electrode contact. It was discovered that the power density of the EDLC was affected by ESR. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Energy Storage and Conversion)

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12 pages, 4476 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Biopolymer-Inspired N-Doped Nanocarbon Using Carbonized Polydopamine: A High-Performance Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen-Evolution Reaction

by Duong Nguyen Nguyen, Uk Sim and Jung Kyu Kim

Polymers 2020, 12(4), 912; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12040912 - 15 Apr 2020

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 7877

Abstract

Hydrogen-evolution reaction (HER) is a promising technology for renewable energy conversion and storage. Electrochemical HER can provide a cost-effective method for the clean production of hydrogen. In this study, a biomimetic eco-friendly approach to fabricate nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheets, exhibiting a high HER performance, and using a carbonized polydopamine (C-PDA), is described. As a biopolymer, polydopamine (PDA) exhibits high biocompatibility and can be easily obtained by an environmentally benign green synthesis with dopamine. Inspired by the polymerization of dopamine, we have devised the facile synthesis of nitrogen-doped nanocarbons using a carbonized polydopamine for the HER in acidic media. The N-doped nanocarbons exhibit excellent performance for H₂ generation. The required overpotential at 5 mA/cm² is 130 mV, and the Tafel slope is 45 mV/decade. Experimental characterizations confirm that the excellent performance of the N-doped nanocarbons can be attributed to the multisite nitrogen doping, while theoretical computations indicate the promotion effect of tertiary/aromatic nitrogen doping in enhancing the spin density of the doped samples and consequently in forming highly electroactive sites for HER applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Energy Storage and Conversion)

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10 pages, 2698 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

High-Conductivity, Flexible and Transparent PEDOT:PSS Electrodes for High Performance Semi-Transparent Supercapacitors

by Jiaxing Song, Guoqiang Ma, Fei Qin, Lin Hu, Bangwu Luo, Tiefeng Liu, Xinxing Yin, Zhen Su, Zhaobing Zeng, Youyu Jiang, Guannan Wang and Zaifang Li

Polymers 2020, 12(2), 450; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12020450 - 14 Feb 2020

Cited by 62 | Viewed by 6761

Abstract

Herein, we report a flexible high-conductivity transparent electrode (denoted as S-PH1000), based on conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), and itsapplication to flexible semi-transparentsupercapacitors. A high conductivity of 2673 S/cm was achieved for the S-PH1000 electrode on flexible plastic substrates via a H₂SO₄ treatment with an optimized concentration of 80 wt.%. This is among the top electrical conductivities of PEDOT:PSS films processed on flexible substrates. As for the electrochemical properties,a high specific capacitance of 161F/g was obtained from the S-PH1000 electrode at a current density of 1 A/g. Excitingly, a specific capacitance of 121 F/g was retained even when the current density increased to 100 A/g, which demonstrates the high-rate property of this electrode. Flexible semi-transparent supercapacitors based on these electrodes demonstrate high transparency, over 60%, at 550 nm. A high power density value, over 19,200 W/kg,and energy density, over 3.40 Wh/kg, was achieved. The semi-transparent flexible supercapacitor was successfully applied topower a light-emitting diode. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Energy Storage and Conversion)

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10 pages, 3285 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of PVP-Capped ZnO Nanoparticles with Enhanced Charge Transport on the Performance of P3HT/PCBM Polymer Solar Cells

by OkSik Kim, JinBeom Kwon, SaeWan Kim, Binrui Xu, KyeongHo Seo, CheolEon Park, WooJong Do, JinHyuk Bae and ShinWon Kang

Polymers 2019, 11(11), 1818; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym11111818 - 5 Nov 2019

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 4964

Abstract

We attempted surface modification in ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized by the sol–gel process with polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) applied to bulk-heterojunction polymer solar cells (PSCs) as an electron transport layer (ETL). In general, ZnO NPs have trap sites due to oxygen vacancies which capture electrons and degrade the performance of the PSCs. Devices with six different PVP:Zn ratios (0.615 g, 1.230 g, 1.846 g, 2.460 g, 3.075 g, and 3.690 g) were fabricated for surface modification, and the optimized PVP:Zn ratio (2.460 g) was found for PSCs based on P3HT/PCBM. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the fabricated PSCs with PVP-capped ZnO exhibited a significant increase of approximately 21% in PCE and excellent air-stability as compared with the uncapped ZnO-based PSCs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Energy Storage and Conversion)

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12 pages, 4681 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Structural Parameters Affecting Electrothermal Properties of Woolen Knitted Fabrics Integrated with Silver-Coated Yarns

by Kexia Sun, Su Liu and Hairu Long

Polymers 2019, 11(10), 1709; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym11101709 - 18 Oct 2019

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4334

Abstract

Recently, more and more researchers have focused on electrical textiles that can provide or convert energy to facilitate people’s lives. Knitting conductive yarns into ordinary fabrics is a common way for electrical textiles to transmit heat or electrical signals to humans. This paper is aimed at studying the resistance values and temperatures of electrothermal knitted conductive fabric (EKCF) subjected to certain voltages over time. Six types of EKCFs with structural differences were fabricated using a computerized flat knitting machine with intarsia technology. Uniform samples 10 × 10 cm in size were made from wool, as were two different specifications of silver-coated conductive yarns. The wool yarn and one silver-coated yarn were mixed to knit a resistance area 2 × 2 cm in size in the center of the EKCF to observe heating behaviors. The experiment results showed that when the EKCFs were subjected to certain voltages over time, the resistance values of the resistance area increased over a short time and then gradually decreased, and the temperature gradually increased in the first 1000 s and tended toward stability after a certain period of time. The structural coefficient

κ

between different knitted structures (which predicted the thermal properties of different EKCFs subjected to different voltages) was analyzed. These results are of great significance for predicting the electrothermal performance of EKCFs with different knitted structures. On the basis of these results, an optimized knitted structure was selected as the best EKCF for wearable textiles, and the findings contribute to the field of technological and intelligent electrothermal garments and related products. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Energy Storage and Conversion)

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18 pages, 9401 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fabrication of Eco-Friendly Solid-State Symmetric Ultracapacitor Device Based on Co-Doped PANI/GO Composite

by Hajera Gul, Anwar-ul-Haq Ali Shah and Salma Bilal

Polymers 2019, 11(8), 1315; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym11081315 - 6 Aug 2019

Cited by 29 | Viewed by 4111

Abstract

An eco-friendly solid-state symmetric ultracapacitor (Uc) device was fabricated using a polyaniline graphene oxide composite co-doped with sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) and dodecyl benzene sulfonic acid (DBSA) or camphor sulfonic acid (CSA), as electrode material utilizing gold sheets as current collectors. The device showed specific capacitance value of 150 F/g at 1 A/g current density, with a capacitance retention value of 93.33% at higher current density (10 A/g), indicating a high rate capability. An energy density of 15.30 Whkg⁻¹ with a power density of 1716 Wkg⁻¹ was obtained at the current density of 1 A/g. The values of areal capacitance, power density, and energy density, achieved at the current density of 5 mAcm⁻², were 97.38 mFcm⁻², 9.93 mWhcm⁻², and 1.1 Wcm⁻², respectively. Additionally, the device showed very low solution and charge transfer resistance (0.885 Ω and 0.475 Ω, respectively). A device was also fabricated utilizing copper as current collector; however, a lower value of specific capacitance (82 F/g) was observed in this case. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Energy Storage and Conversion)

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10 pages, 3422 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Multilayer Emitter Close to Ideal Solar Reflectance for Efficient Daytime Radiative Cooling

by Yeqing Zhu, Dong Wang, Cheng Fang, Ping He and Yong-Hong Ye

Polymers 2019, 11(7), 1203; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym11071203 - 18 Jul 2019

Cited by 36 | Viewed by 5847

Abstract

A passive radiative cooling method has a significant influence on thermal management applications because it can cool without any energy input. This work both experimentally and theoretically demonstrates a multilayer thin film structure with high solar reflectance, which can be applied to passive daytime radiative cooling. The combination of physical vapor deposition and spin-coating prepared the samples, which were also characterized experimentally by spectrometers. On-site measured results show that the emitter can effectively achieve daytime radiative cooling, and the cooling performance can be further improved with the increase of the ambient air temperature. When the emitter is exposed to direct solar radiation (AM1.5) of about 880 W/m² on a rooftop under dry air conditions, it can achieve an average temperature reduction of about 12.6 °C from the ambient air temperature with nonradiative heat transfer (11 a.m.–1 p.m.). Theoretical simulations reveal that the emitter can still have a certain cooling performance in the presence of significant nonradiative heat exchange and nonideal atmospheric conditions. The influence of ambient air temperature on the cooling performance of the emitter is also theoretically analyzed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Energy Storage and Conversion)

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15 pages, 26397 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Triblock Copolymer on Carbon-Based Boron Nitride Whiskers for Efficient CO₂ Adsorption

by Urooj Kamran, Kyong Yop Rhee and Soo-Jin Park

Polymers 2019, 11(5), 913; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym11050913 - 21 May 2019

Cited by 26 | Viewed by 6332

Abstract

Herein, we investigated novel carbon-containing P123 copolymer-activated boron nitride whiskers (P123-CBNW) fabricated via a structure directing approach followed by a single-step heat treatment under N₂. The resulting materials were found to be highly micro- and mesoporous. The influence of the activating agent (P123 copolymer) on the CO₂ adsorption efficiency was determined. The prepared samples possessed high specific surface areas (594–1732 m²/g) and micropore volumes (0.258–0.672 cm³/g). The maximum CO₂ uptakes of the prepared adsorbents were in the range 136–308 mg/g (3.09–7.01 mmol/g) at 273 K and 1 bar and 97–114 mg/g (2.22–4.62 mmol/g) in the following order: CBNW < P123-CBNW3 < P123-CBNW2 < P123-CBNW1 < P123-CBNW0.5. The isosteric heat of adsorption values (∆Q_st) were found to be 33.7–43.7 kJ/mol, demonstrating the physisorption nature of the CO₂ adsorption. Extensive analysis revealed that the presence of carbon, the high specific surface area, the high microporosity, and the chemical structural defects within the adsorbents are responsible for raising the CO₂ adsorption ability and the selectivity over N₂ gas. The fabricated adsorbents show excellent regeneration ability after several repeated adsorption cycles, making the prepared adsorbents promising candidates for gas storage applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Energy Storage and Conversion)

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Review

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27 pages, 3998 KiB

Open AccessReview

Application Progress of Polyaniline, Polypyrrole and Polythiophene in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

by Xiaodong Hong, Yue Liu, Yang Li, Xu Wang, Jiawei Fu and Xuelei Wang

Polymers 2020, 12(2), 331; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12020331 - 5 Feb 2020

Cited by 95 | Viewed by 8608

Abstract

With the urgent requirement for high-performance rechargeable Li-S batteries, besides various carbon materials and metal compounds, lots of conducting polymers have been developed and used as components in Li-S batteries. In this review, the synthesis of polyaniline (PANI), polypyrrole (PPy) and polythiophene (PTh) is introduced briefly. Then, the application progress of the three conducting polymers is summarized according to the function in Li-S batteries, including coating layers, conductive hosts, sulfur-containing compounds, separator modifier/functional interlayer, binder and current collector. Finally, according to the current problems of conducting polymers, some practical strategies and potential research directions are put forward. We expect that this review will provide novel design ideas to develop conducting polymer-containing high-performance Li-S batteries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Energy Storage and Conversion)

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