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Polymers
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Polymeric Materials in Energy Conversion and Storage, 2nd Edition
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Polymeric Materials in Energy Conversion and Storage, 2nd Edition

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 8830

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Md Najib Alam

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Mechanical Engineering, Yeungnam University, 280 Daehak-Ro, Gyeongsan 38541, Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea
Interests: vulcanization; rubber nanocomposites; energy harvesting; sensors and actuators; magnetorheological elastomers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Vineet Kumar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Mechanical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongbuk 38541, Republic of Korea
Interests: portable electronics; hydrogels; soft elastomers; smart sensors; self-powered nanogenerators
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The demand for energy continues to rise due to advancements in technology. While energy can be sourced from various origins, renewable resources hold significant promise for fostering a cleaner environment. Proper energy storage is crucial to minimizing energy loss, which is essential for a healthier economy and enhanced safety. Different materials contribute uniquely to energy efficiency. For instance, functional polymers, with their high dielectric constants, are valuable for capacitors and transducers for mechanical energy conversion. Some polymers are also capable of converting electromagnetic wave energy into electrical energy. Modern energy devices increasingly require flexibility, mechanical robustness, and high efficiency. Polymers and polymer composites are ideal for bridging the gap between mechanical properties and energy efficiency.

In a previous related issue, we gathered extensive knowledge on the fabrication, properties, efficiencies, and applications of these polymeric materials. This field is rapidly evolving, necessitating continual updates. With this in mind, we are now focusing on the processing, properties, and potential drawbacks of these materials. We invite you to contribute to this Special Issue with your original research articles, both theoretical and practical, as well as review papers

Dr. Md Najib Alam
Dr. Vineet Kumar
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 composites
  • flexible electronics
  • energy harvesting
  • nanogenerators
  • sensors and actuators
  • energy storage materials

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 5670 KiB  
Article
Enhanced Piezoelectric Performance of Highly-Aligned ZnO Nanorods Embedded in P(VDF-TrFE) Nanofiber Membranes
by Xingjia Li, Zhongbo Zhang, Jianjun Ye, Yuan Li, Qichao Li, Han Wang, Xiuli Zhang and Yiping Guo
Polymers 2025, 17(5), 585; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17050585 - 22 Feb 2025
Viewed by 782
Abstract
Flexible and wearable electronics often rely on piezoelectric materials, and Poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) membranes are popular for this application. However, their electromechanical performance is limited due to a relatively low piezoelectric coefficient. To address this, this study investigates the incorporation of zinc oxide [...] Read more.
Flexible and wearable electronics often rely on piezoelectric materials, and Poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) membranes are popular for this application. However, their electromechanical performance is limited due to a relatively low piezoelectric coefficient. To address this, this study investigates the incorporation of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods (NRs) into a P(VDF-TrFE) nanofiber membrane matrix. ZnO NRs were synthesized and doped into well-aligned P(VDF-TrFE) nanofibers using electrospinning with a high-speed rotating drum. The impact of ZnO NRs’ mass fraction on the piezoelectric properties of the membranes was evaluated. Results show that a maximum piezoelectric coefficient (d33) of −62.4 pC/N, 9.5 times higher than neat P(VDF-TrFE), was achieved. These enhanced membranes demonstrated excellent performance in finger-tapping and bending detection, making them promising for large-scale flexible sensor applications in wearable electronics. This approach offers a simple and effective route to improve the performance of piezoelectric materials in flexible devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymeric Materials in Energy Conversion and Storage, 2nd Edition)
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22 pages, 6270 KiB  
Article
Poly(amic acid)-Polyimide Copolymer Interfacial Layers for Self-Powered CH3NH3PbI3 Photovoltaic Photodiodes
by Wonsun Kim, JaeWoo Park, HyeRyun Jeong, Kimin Lee, Sui Yang, Eun Ha Choi and Byoungchoo Park
Polymers 2025, 17(2), 163; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17020163 - 10 Jan 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 751
Abstract
Hybrid organohalide perovskites have received considerable attention due to their exceptional photovoltaic (PV) conversion efficiencies in optoelectronic devices. In this study, we report the development of a highly sensitive, self-powered perovskite-based photovoltaic photodiode (PVPD) fabricated by incorporating a poly(amic acid)-polyimide (PAA-PI) copolymer as [...] Read more.
Hybrid organohalide perovskites have received considerable attention due to their exceptional photovoltaic (PV) conversion efficiencies in optoelectronic devices. In this study, we report the development of a highly sensitive, self-powered perovskite-based photovoltaic photodiode (PVPD) fabricated by incorporating a poly(amic acid)-polyimide (PAA-PI) copolymer as an interfacial layer between a methylammonium lead iodide (CH3NH3PbI3, MAPbI3) perovskite light-absorbing layer and a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT: PSS) hole injection layer. The PAA-PI interfacial layer effectively suppresses carrier recombination at the interfaces, resulting in a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 11.8% compared to 10.4% in reference devices without an interfacial layer. Moreover, applying the PAA-PI interfacial layer to the MAPbI3 PVPD significantly improves the photodiode performance, increasing the specific detectivity by 49 times to 7.82 × 1010 Jones compared to the corresponding results of reference devices without an interfacial layer. The PAA-PI-passivated MAPbI3 PVPD also exhibits a wide linear dynamic range of ~103 dB and fast response times, with rise and decay times of 61 and 18 µs, respectively. The improved dynamic response of the PAA-PI-passivated MAPbI3 PVPD enables effective weak-light detection, highlighting the potential of advanced interfacial engineering with PAA-PI interfacial layers in the development of high-performance, self-powered perovskite photovoltaic photodetectors for a wide range of optoelectronic applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymeric Materials in Energy Conversion and Storage, 2nd Edition)
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19 pages, 5556 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Impact of Structural Modifications of Phenothiazine-Based Novel Compounds for Organic Solar Cells: DFT Investigations
by Walid Taouali, Amel Azazi, Rym Hassani, Entesar H. EL-Araby and Kamel Alimi
Polymers 2025, 17(1), 115; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17010115 - 5 Jan 2025
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1165
Abstract
This paper explores a novel group of D-π-A configurations that has been specifically created for organic solar cell applications. In these material compounds, the phenothiazine, the furan, and two derivatives of the thienyl-fused IC group act as the donor, the π-conjugated spacer, and [...] Read more.
This paper explores a novel group of D-π-A configurations that has been specifically created for organic solar cell applications. In these material compounds, the phenothiazine, the furan, and two derivatives of the thienyl-fused IC group act as the donor, the π-conjugated spacer, and the end-group acceptors, respectively. We assess the impact of substituents by introducing bromine atoms at two potential substitution sites on each end-group acceptor (EG1 and EG2). With the donor and π-bridge held constant, we have employed density functional theory and time-dependent DFT simulations to explore the photophysical and optoelectronic properties of tailored compounds (M1–M6). We have demonstrated how structural modifications influence the optoelectronic properties of materials for organic solar cells. Moreover, all proposed compounds exhibit a greater Voc exceeding 1.5 V, a suitable HOMO-LUMO energy gap (2.14–2.30 eV), and higher dipole moments (9.23–10.90 D). Various decisive key factors that are crucial for exploring the properties of tailored compounds—frontier molecular orbitals, transition density matrix, electrostatic potential, open-circuit voltage, maximum absorption, reduced density gradient, and charge transfer length (Dindex)—were also explored. Our analysis delivers profound insights into the design principles of optimizing the performance of organic solar cell applications based on halogenated material compounds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymeric Materials in Energy Conversion and Storage, 2nd Edition)
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14 pages, 5160 KiB  
Article
Exploring Crystal Structure Features in Proton Exchange Membranes and Their Correlation with Proton and Heat Transport
by Cong Feng, Cong Luo, Pingwen Ming and Cunman Zhang
Polymers 2024, 16(23), 3250; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16233250 - 22 Nov 2024
Viewed by 768
Abstract
Proton exchange membranes (PEMs) are dominated by semicrystalline structures because highly pure crystals are still challenging to produce and control. Currently, the development and application of PEMs have been hindered by a lack of understanding regarding the effects of microstructure on proton and [...] Read more.
Proton exchange membranes (PEMs) are dominated by semicrystalline structures because highly pure crystals are still challenging to produce and control. Currently, the development and application of PEMs have been hindered by a lack of understanding regarding the effects of microstructure on proton and heat transport properties. Based on an experimentally characterized perfluoro sulfonic acid membrane, the corresponding semicrystalline model and the crystal model contained therein were constructed. The water distribution, proton, and heat transport in the crystal, amorphous, and semicrystalline regions were examined using molecular dynamics simulations and energy-conserving dissipative particle dynamics simulations. The crystal structure had pronounced water connection pathways, a proton transport efficiency 5–10 times higher than that of the amorphous structure, and an in-plane covalent bonding that boosted the thermal diffusion coefficient and thermal conductivity by more than 1–3 times. The results for the semicrystalline structure were validated by the corresponding experiments. In addition, a proportionality coefficient that depended on both temperature and water content was proposed to explain how vehicle transport contributed to the proton conductivities, facilitating our understanding of the proton transport mechanism. Our findings enhance our theoretical understanding of PEMs in proton and heat transport, considering both the semicrystalline and crystalline regions. Additionally, the research methods employed can be applied to the study of other semicrystalline polymers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymeric Materials in Energy Conversion and Storage, 2nd Edition)
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19 pages, 5602 KiB  
Article
Synthesis of Cellulose Acetate Butyrate Microspheres as Precursor for Hard Carbon-Based Electrodes in Symmetric Supercapacitors
by Johanna Fischer, Katrin Thümmler, Igor Zlotnikov, Daria Mikhailova and Steffen Fischer
Polymers 2024, 16(15), 2176; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16152176 - 30 Jul 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1449
Abstract
Cellulose microspheres have a wide range of applications due to their unique properties and versatility. Various preparation methods have been explored to tailor these microspheres for specific applications. Among these methods, the acetate method using cellulose acetate is well known. However, replacement of [...] Read more.
Cellulose microspheres have a wide range of applications due to their unique properties and versatility. Various preparation methods have been explored to tailor these microspheres for specific applications. Among these methods, the acetate method using cellulose acetate is well known. However, replacement of the acetate group through the butyrate group significantly extends the variety of morphological properties. In the present work, microspheres based on cellulose acetate butyrate are being developed with modified characteristics in terms of particle size, porosity, surface morphology and the inner structure of the microspheres. While the inner structure of cellulose acetate microspheres is predominantly porous, microspheres prepared from cellulose acetate butyrate are mainly filled or contain several smaller microspheres. Carbon materials from cellulose acetate butyrate microspheres exhibit a high specific surface area of 567 m2 g−1, even without further activation. Activation processes can further increase the specific surface area, accompanied by an adaptation of the pore structure. The prepared carbons show promising results in symmetrical supercapacitors with aqueous 6 M KOH electrolytes. Activated carbons derived from cellulose acetate butyrate microspheres demonstrate an energy density of 12 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 0.9 kW kg−1. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymeric Materials in Energy Conversion and Storage, 2nd Edition)
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Review

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24 pages, 7751 KiB  
Review
Electrically Conductive Functional Polymers and Application Progress in Lithium Batteries
by Zhe Huang, Mengting Lyu, Nan Meng, Jinxin Cao, Chenyu Xiong and Fang Lian
Polymers 2025, 17(6), 778; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17060778 - 14 Mar 2025
Viewed by 841
Abstract
Electrically conductive functional polymers (ECFPs) have attracted much attention not only for their electron conductivity but also for their versatile properties, including redox activity, flexibility, and designability. These attributes are expected to enhance the energy density and mechanical compatibility of lithium batteries while [...] Read more.
Electrically conductive functional polymers (ECFPs) have attracted much attention not only for their electron conductivity but also for their versatile properties, including redox activity, flexibility, and designability. These attributes are expected to enhance the energy density and mechanical compatibility of lithium batteries while mitigating the safety risks associated with such batteries. Furthermore, ECFPs are key candidates as active materials, current collectors, coatings, binders, and additives in energy storage and conversion systems, especially for the development of flexible batteries, dry electrodes, and solid-state batteries. However, their low electron conductivity, poor environmental stability, instability of dopants, and high costs limit their usage in production and large-scale applications. In this review, the two major electrically conductive functional polymer species with conjugated and radical structures are focused on to reveal their conductivity mechanisms. Moreover, the current strategies for improving the performance of these polymers are summarized, which include molecular design to optimize conjugated structures for enhanced conductivity, the addition of hydrophobic groups or protective coatings to improve environmental resistance, a side-chain design that is self-doping to introduce high-stability dopants, and the development of multifunctional systems through compositing with two-dimensional carbon-based materials. Additionally, green processes and renewable resource applications are also introduced with the aim of creating cost-effective and sustainable preparation technologies. The advancement of ECFPs in structural and performance engineering and optimization strategies will facilitate their potentially expansive applications in energy storage and conversion devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymeric Materials in Energy Conversion and Storage, 2nd Edition)
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32 pages, 4901 KiB  
Review
Unraveling the Electrochemical Insights of Cobalt Oxide/Conducting Polymer Hybrid Materials for Supercapacitor, Battery, and Supercapattery Applications
by Annu, Sang-Shin Park, Md Najib Alam, Manesh Yewale and Dong Kil Shin
Polymers 2024, 16(20), 2907; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16202907 - 15 Oct 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2020
Abstract
This review article focuses on the potential of cobalt oxide composites with conducting polymers, particularly polypyrrole (PPy) and polyaniline (PANI), as advanced electrode materials for supercapacitors, batteries, and supercapatteries. Cobalt oxide, known for its high theoretical capacitance, is limited by poor conductivity and [...] Read more.
This review article focuses on the potential of cobalt oxide composites with conducting polymers, particularly polypyrrole (PPy) and polyaniline (PANI), as advanced electrode materials for supercapacitors, batteries, and supercapatteries. Cobalt oxide, known for its high theoretical capacitance, is limited by poor conductivity and structural degradation during cycling. However, the integration of PPy and PANI has been proven to enhance the electrochemical performance through improved conductivity, increased pseudocapacitive effects, and enhanced structural integrity. This synergistic combination facilitates efficient charge transport and ion diffusion, resulting in improved cycling stability and energy storage capacity. Despite significant progress in synthesis techniques and composite design, challenges such as maintaining structural stability during prolonged cycling and scalability for mass production remain. This review highlights the synthesis methods, latest advancements, and electrochemical performance in cobalt oxide/PPy and cobalt oxide/PANI composites, emphasizing their potential to contribute to the development of next-generation energy storage devices. Further exploration into their application, especially in battery systems, is necessary to fully harness their capabilities and meet the increasing demands of energy storage technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymeric Materials in Energy Conversion and Storage, 2nd Edition)
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