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Innovative Polymeric Systems for Advanced Energy Storage Devices

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2021) | Viewed by 7740

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. Departament d’Enginyeria Química, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Campus Diagonal Besòs (EEBE), C/Eduard Maristany, 10-14, 08019 Barcelona, Spain
2. Barcelona Research Center for Multiscale Science and Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Campus Diagonal Besòs (EEBE), C/Eduard Maristany, 10-14, 08019 Barcelona, Spain
Interests: polymers/biopolymers; material characterization; biointerfaces; TE scaffolds; hydrogels; biosensors; organic supercapacitors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Polymers have become essential materials in our modern daily life. Their incredible diversity renders them versatile elements in fields such as mechanical engineering, tissue engineering, food industry, biotechnology, drug delivery systems, biosensor devices, or cosmetics, among others. Because of their properties, polymers have emerged as key components in energy storage devices, in that they can improve their performance (i.e., power density, cyclability, flexibility, security, or low weight) while increasing their sustainability if renewable materials are used.

The aim of this Special Issue “Innovative Polymeric Systems for Advanced Energy Storage Devices” is to highlight advanced studies where innovative polymeric systems are being applied in energy storage devices that display outstanding performance, from fundamental aspects through advanced functional applications. The scope may include but not exclusively be limited to polymer binders for electrodes, polymer electrolytes, or redox polymers. Following a renewable and green energy approach is also highly encouraged.

We think you could make an excellent contribution on our journal and would like to invite your submission. The submission deadline is 30 June 2021. We look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards

Dr. Maria M. Pérez-Madrigal
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

  • Polymers
  • Batteries
  • Organic supercapacitors
  • Polymer binders
  • Electrolyte
  • Redox polymers
  • Renewable compounds
  • Green energy

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 8015 KiB  
Article
Electrical and Capacitive Response of Hydrogel Solid-Like Electrolytes for Supercapacitors
by Guillem Ruano, José I. Iribarren, Maria M. Pérez-Madrigal, Juan Torras and Carlos Alemán
Polymers 2021, 13(8), 1337; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13081337 - 19 Apr 2021
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 4293
Abstract
Flexible hydrogels are attracting significant interest as solid-like electrolytes for energy storage devices, especially for supercapacitors, because of their lightweight and anti-deformation features. Here, we present a comparative study of four ionic conductive hydrogels derived from biopolymers and doped with 0.1 M NaCl. [...] Read more.
Flexible hydrogels are attracting significant interest as solid-like electrolytes for energy storage devices, especially for supercapacitors, because of their lightweight and anti-deformation features. Here, we present a comparative study of four ionic conductive hydrogels derived from biopolymers and doped with 0.1 M NaCl. More specifically, such hydrogels are constituted by κ-carrageenan (κC), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), poly-γ-glutamic acid (PGGA) or a phenylalanine-containing polyesteramide (PEA). After examining the morphology and the swelling ratio of the four hydrogels, which varies between 483% and 2356%, their electrical and capacitive behaviors were examined using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Measurements were conducted on devices where a hydrogel film was sandwiched between two identical poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) electrodes. The bulk conductivity of the prepared doped hydrogels is 76, 48, 36 and 34 mS/cm for PEA, PGGA, κC and CMC, respectively. Overall, the polyesteramide hydrogel exhibits the most adequate properties (i.e., low electrical resistance and high capacitance) to be used as semi-solid electrolyte for supercapacitors, which has been attributed to its distinctive structure based on the homogeneous and abundant distribution of both micro- and nanopores. Indeed, the morphology of the polyestermide hydrogel reduces the hydrogel resistance, enhances the transport of ions, and results in a better interfacial contact between the electrodes and solid electrolyte. The correlation between the supercapacitor performance and the hydrogel porous morphology is presented as an important design feature for the next generation of light and flexible energy storage devices for wearable electronics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Polymeric Systems for Advanced Energy Storage Devices)
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15 pages, 5568 KiB  
Article
High Power Cathodes from Poly(2,2,6,6-Tetramethyl-1-Piperidinyloxy Methacrylate)/Li(NixMnyCoz)O2 Hybrid Composites
by Guillaume Dolphijn, Fernand Gauthy, Alexandru Vlad and Jean-François Gohy
Polymers 2021, 13(6), 986; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13060986 - 23 Mar 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2792
Abstract
Lithium-ion batteries are today among the most efficient devices for electrochemical energy storage. However, an improvement of their performance is required to address the challenges of modern grid management, portable technology, and electric mobility. One of the most important limitations to solve is [...] Read more.
Lithium-ion batteries are today among the most efficient devices for electrochemical energy storage. However, an improvement of their performance is required to address the challenges of modern grid management, portable technology, and electric mobility. One of the most important limitations to solve is the slow kinetics of redox reactions associated to inorganic cathodic materials, directly impacting on the charging time and the power characteristics of the cells. In sharp contrast, redox polymers such as poly(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxy methacrylate) (PTMA) exhibit fast redox reaction kinetics and pseudocapacitors characteristics. In this contribution, we have hybridized high energy Li(NixMnyCoz)O2 mixed oxides (NMC) with PTMA. In this hybrid cathode configuration, the higher voltage NMC (ca. 3.7 V vs. Li/Li+) is able to transfer its energy to the lower voltage PTMA (3.6 V vs. Li/Li+) improving the discharge power performances and allowing high power cathodes to be obtained. However, the NMC-PTMA hybrid cathodes show an important capacity fading. Our investigations indicate the presence of an interface degradation reaction between NMC and PTMA transforming NMC into an electrochemically dead material. Moreover, the aqueous process used here to prepare the cathode is also shown to enable the degradation of NMC. Indeed, once NMC is immersed in water, alkaline surface species dissolve, increasing the pH of the slurry, and corroding the aluminum current collector. Additionally, the NMC surface is altered due to delithiation which enables the interface degradation reaction to take place. This reaction by surface passivation of NMC particles did not succeed in preventing the interfacial degradation. Degradation was, however, notably decreased when Li(Ni0.8Mn0.1Co0.1)O2 NMC was used and even further when alumina-coated Li(Ni0.8Mn0.1Co0.1)O2 NMC was considered. For the latter at a 20C discharge rate, the hybrids presented higher power performances compared to the single constituents, clearly emphasizing the benefits of the hybrid cathode concept. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Polymeric Systems for Advanced Energy Storage Devices)
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