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Gels
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Energy Storage and Conductive Gel Polymers
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Energy Storage and Conductive Gel Polymers

A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 2615

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Thirukumaran Periyasamy

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Fiber System Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Republic of Korea
Interests: polymers; bio-polymers; carbons; polymer films; energy storge
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Seong-Cheol Kim

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Republic of Korea
Interests: hydrogel; biomaterial; polymer synthesis; additives; conductive gels
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Energy storage technologies are fundamental for modern electronics, electric vehicles, and renewable energy integration. Conductive gel polymers (CGPs) are emerging as promising materials for enhancing the performance, flexibility, and efficiency of energy storage devices such as supercapacitors and batteries. These materials combine the benefits of polymeric flexibility with high ionic and electronic conductivity, making them suitable for next-generation energy storage systems. CGPs serve as electrolytes in supercapacitors and batteries, enabling efficient ion transport while maintaining structural integrity. CGPs used in electrodes enhance their conductivity and improve electrochemical performance. Advanced CGPs exhibit self-healing properties, improving device durability, especially in wearable electronics. The key materials in conductive gel polymers, such as poly(ethylene oxide), polyacrylamide, polyvinyl alcohol, polyaniline, polypyrrole, and graphene-based gels, produce high ionic conductivity, improve charge transport properties and enhance the mechanical strength of polymers. These advancements make CGPs a key component in next-generation sustainable and high-performance energy storage solutions.

This Special Issue will highlight the development and application of conductive gel polymers (CGPs) in energy storage systems, addressing several critical challenges and advancing the performance of modern energy storage technologies.

Prof. Dr. Thirukumaran Periyasamy
Prof. Dr. Seong-Cheol Kim
Guest Editors

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Gels is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2100 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

  • development of gel polymers in energy storage systems
  • application of gel polymers in energy storage systems
  • stable gel electrolytes
  • stretchable, self-healing, and flexible conductive gels
  • biodegradable and non-toxic conductive gels
  • hybrid gel materials

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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30 pages, 13241 KB  
Article
Nanosilica Gel-Stabilized Phase-Change Materials Based on Epoxy Resin and Wood’s Metal
by Svetlana O. Ilyina, Irina Y. Gorbunova, Vyacheslav V. Shutov, Michael L. Kerber and Sergey O. Ilyin
Gels 2026, 12(1), 79; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels12010079 - 16 Jan 2026
Viewed by 127
Abstract
The emulsification of a molten fusible metal alloy in a liquid epoxy matrix with its subsequent curing is a novel way to create a highly concentrated phase-change material. However, numerous challenges have arisen. The high interfacial tension between the molten metal and epoxy [...] Read more.
The emulsification of a molten fusible metal alloy in a liquid epoxy matrix with its subsequent curing is a novel way to create a highly concentrated phase-change material. However, numerous challenges have arisen. The high interfacial tension between the molten metal and epoxy resin and the difference in their viscosities hinder the stretching and breaking of metal droplets during stirring. Further, the high density of metal droplets and lack of suitable surfactants lead to their rapid coalescence and sedimentation in the non-cross-linked resin. Finally, the high differences in the thermal expansion coefficients of the metal alloy and cross-linked epoxy polymer may cause cracking of the resulting phase-change material. This work overcomes the above problems by using nanosilica-induced physical gelation to thicken the epoxy medium containing Wood’s metal, stabilize their interfacial boundary, and immobilize the molten metal droplets through the creation of a gel-like network with a yield stress. In turn, the yield stress and the subsequent low-temperature curing with diethylenetriamine prevent delamination and cracking, while the transformation of the epoxy resin as a physical gel into a cross-linked polymer gel ensures form stability. The stabilization mechanism is shown to combine Pickering-like interfacial anchoring of hydrophilic silica at the metal/epoxy boundary with bulk gelation of the epoxy phase, enabling high metal loadings. As a result, epoxy shape-stable phase-change materials containing up to 80 wt% of Wood’s metal were produced. Wood’s metal forms fine dispersed droplets in epoxy medium with an average size of 2–5 µm, which can store thermal energy with an efficiency of up to 120.8 J/cm3. Wood’s metal plasticizes the epoxy matrix and decreases its glass transition temperature because of interactions with the epoxy resin and its hardener. However, the reinforcing effect of the metal particles compensates for this adverse effect, increasing Young’s modulus of the cured phase-change system up to 825 MPa. These form-stable, high-energy-density composites are promising for thermal energy storage in building envelopes, radiation-protective shielding, or industrial heat management systems where leakage-free operation and mechanical integrity are critical. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Storage and Conductive Gel Polymers)
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23 pages, 6275 KB  
Article
Epoxy Resin Highly Loaded with an Ionic Liquid: Morphology, Rheology, and Thermophysical Properties
by Svetlana O. Ilyina, Irina Y. Gorbunova, Michael L. Kerber and Sergey O. Ilyin
Gels 2025, 11(12), 992; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11120992 - 10 Dec 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 520
Abstract
An epoxy resin can be crosslinked with an imidazole-based ionic liquid (IL), whose excess, provided its high melting temperature, can potentially form a dispersed phase to store thermal energy and produce a phase-change material (PCM). This work investigates the crosslinking of diglycidyl ether [...] Read more.
An epoxy resin can be crosslinked with an imidazole-based ionic liquid (IL), whose excess, provided its high melting temperature, can potentially form a dispersed phase to store thermal energy and produce a phase-change material (PCM). This work investigates the crosslinking of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) using 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([EMIM]Cl) at its mass fractions of 5, 10, 20, 40, and 60%. The effect of [EMIM]Cl on the viscosity, curing rate, and curing degree was studied, and the thermophysical properties and morphology of the resulting crosslinked epoxy polymer were investigated. During the curing, [EMIM]Cl changes its role from a crosslinking agent (an initiator of homopolymerization) and a diluent of the epoxy resin to a plasticizer of the cured epoxy polymer and a dispersed phase-change agent. An increase in the [EMIM]Cl content accelerates the curing firstly because of the growth in the number of reaction centers, and then the curing slows down because of the action of the IL as a diluent, which reduces the concentration of reacting substances. In addition, a rise in the proportion of [EMIM]Cl led to the predominance of the initiation over the chain growth, causing the formation of short non-crosslinked molecules. The IL content of 5% allowed for curing the epoxy resin and elevating the stiffness of the crosslinked product by almost 7 times compared to tetraethylenetriamine as a usual aliphatic amine hardener (6.95 GPa versus 1.1 GPa). The [EMIM]Cl content of 20–40% resulted in a thermoplastic epoxy polymer capable of flowing and molding at elevated temperatures. The formation of IL emulsion in the epoxy matrix occurred at 60% [EMIM]Cl, but its hygroscopicity and absorption of water from surrounding air reduced the crystallinity of dispersed [EMIM]Cl, not allowing for an effective phase-change material to be obtained. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Storage and Conductive Gel Polymers)
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21 pages, 8543 KB  
Article
Optimization of the Thermal Performance of Na2HPO4·12H2O-Based Gel Phase Change Materials in Solar Greenhouses Using Machine Learning
by Wenhe Liu, Xuhui Wu, Mengmeng Yang, Yuhan Huang, Zhanyang Xu, Mingze Yao, Yikui Bai and Feng Zhang
Gels 2025, 11(9), 744; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11090744 - 16 Sep 2025
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 863
Abstract
In the design of gel phase change composite wall materials for solar greenhouses, the alteration of material composition could directly affect the thermal performance of gel phase change composite wall materials. In order to obtain better suitable gel phasechange composite wall material for [...] Read more.
In the design of gel phase change composite wall materials for solar greenhouses, the alteration of material composition could directly affect the thermal performance of gel phase change composite wall materials. In order to obtain better suitable gel phasechange composite wall material for solar greenhouses, Na2HPO4·12H2O-based gel phasechange materials with different content of ingredient (Na2SiO3·9H2O, C35H49O29, KCl, and nano-α-Fe2O3) were obtained via the Taguchi method and machine learning algorithms, such as Support Vector Regression (SVR), Random Forest (RF), and Gradient Boosting Trees (GBDT). The result shows that the GBDT is more suitable for the thermal performance optimization prediction of gel phase change composite wall materials, including time cooling (TC), latent heat of phase change (ΔHm), supercooling degree (ΔT), and phase change temperature (Tm). The determination coefficient (R2) of time cooling (TC), latent heat of phase change (ΔHm), supercooling degree (ΔT), and phase change temperature (Tm) by GBDT are 0.9987, 0.99965, 1, and 0.9995, respectively. The mean absolute error (MAE) coefficient percentage of supercooling degree (ΔT), phase change temperature (Tm), latent heat of phase change (ΔHm), and time of cooling (TC) by GBDT are 0.32%, 0.25%, 0.17%, and 0.26%, respectively. The root mean square error (RMSE) of supercooling degree (ΔT), phase change temperature (Tm), latent heat of phase change (ΔHm), and time of cooling (TC) by GBDT are 0.41%, 0.32%, 0.19%, and 0.35%, respectively. The optimal result predicted by GBDT is Na2HPO4·12H2O + 5% Na2SiO3·9H2O + 12% KCl + 0.2% Nano-α-Fe2O3 + 3% C35H49O29, which was verified by experiments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Storage and Conductive Gel Polymers)
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Review

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32 pages, 11529 KB  
Review
Flexible Polymer Hydrogel Materials for Next-Generation Wearable Energy Storage Technologies
by Thirukumaran Periyasamy, Shakila Parveen Asrafali and Jaewoong Lee
Gels 2025, 11(12), 999; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11120999 - 11 Dec 2025
Viewed by 806
Abstract
The rapid advancement of wearable technology has created an increasing demand for efficient, high-performance energy storage systems that also offer key characteristics such as flexibility, lightweight, and durability. Among the emerging materials, polymer hydrogels have garnered significant attention due to their unique combination [...] Read more.
The rapid advancement of wearable technology has created an increasing demand for efficient, high-performance energy storage systems that also offer key characteristics such as flexibility, lightweight, and durability. Among the emerging materials, polymer hydrogels have garnered significant attention due to their unique combination of viscoelasticity, low density, and tunable porous nanostructures. These materials exhibit adaptable surface and structural properties, making them promising candidates for next-generation flexible and wearable energy storage devices. This work provides an overview of recent progress and innovations in the application of polymer hydrogels for the development of flexible energy storage systems. The intrinsic three-dimensional architecture and porous morphology of these hydrogels offer a versatile platform for constructing high-performance supercapacitors, rechargeable batteries, and personal thermal management devices. Various types of polymer hydrogels and their principal fabrication methods are discussed in detail, along with the structural factors that influence their electrochemical and mechanical performance. Furthermore, recent advancements in integrating polymer hydrogel materials into wearable and flexible technologies—such as energy storage devices, thermal regulation systems, and multifunctional energy platforms—are comprehensively reviewed and analyzed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Storage and Conductive Gel Polymers)
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