Polymer Batteries

Abstract

With the rapid development of modern society, the demand for energy has increased in many fields. It is extremely necessary to develop efficient and safer rechargeable batteries as energy storage devices. Nowadays, polymer electrolytes are used in place of commercial liquid electrolytes because of their flexibility as well as easy moldability into a desired shape. However, their room-temperature ionic conductivity is very low compared to the liquid electrolytes due to their high crystalline nature. The plasticization of polymer electrolytes is a very effective method for increasing the amorphicity of the host polymer matrix. But an organic plasticizer has some limitations, such as less thermal/chemical stability, a low flash point, and being highly electrochemically reactive. Therefore, ionic liquids incorporated in polymer matrices have received considerable interest as replacements for the conventional organic plasticizer due to their exotic nature, such as non-toxicity, non-volatility, non-flammability, high thermal/chemical stability, and electrochemical inactiveness. So, ionic liquid incorporated polymer electrolytes not only increase their ionic conductivity but also enhance the electrochemical performance of rechargeable polymer batteries. © 2022 selection and editorial matter, Inamuddin, Mohd Imran Ahamed, Rajender Boddula, Tariq A. Altalhi; individual chapters, the contributors.