Can polymers improve the performance of lithium ion batteries?

Polymers play a crucial role in improving the performance of the ubiquitous lithium ion battery. But they will be even more important for the development of sustainable and versatile post-lithium battery technologies, in particular solid-state batteries.

What is the role of polymers in batteries?

Polymers play important roles in batteries as separators, electrolytes, binders and sealing materials. Recently, polymers have also emerged as electrode-active materials in batteries based on fundamental research to create functional polymers for energy storage.

Why is polyimide used in lithium ion batteries?

Polyimide (PI) exhibits remarkable thermal and mechanical stability, non-flammability and other excellent properties, which have been applied as separators and polymer electrolytes in lithium-ion batteries [21, 22].

What polymers are used in lithium batteries?

In summary, several polymers have been applied in lithium batteries. Starting from commercial PP/PE separators, a myriad of possible membranes has been published. Most publications focus on increasing the ionic conductivity and the lithium-ion transference number.

Which polymers are used in the development of post-Li ion batteries?

(2) Thus, well-known polymers such as poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) binders and polyolefin porous separators are used to improve the electrochemical performance and stability of the batteries. Furthermore, functional polymers play an active and important role in the development of post-Li ion batteries.

Are lithium-ion batteries a viable energy storage system?

Fig. 1. Ragone plot for energy storage systems. Currently, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) represent one of the most prominent energy storage systems when compared to other energy storage systems (Fig. 1), with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.0% and an expected global value of US $ 93.1 billion by 2025 .