Stakem Kieran G, Leslie Freddie J, Gregory Georgina L
Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford 12 Mansfield Road Oxford OX1 3TA UK
Chem Sci. 2024 Jun 13;15(27):10281-10307. doi: 10.1039/d4sc02501f. eCollection 2024 Jul 10.
Solid-state batteries are increasingly centre-stage for delivering more energy-dense, safer batteries to follow current lithium-ion rechargeable technologies. At the same time, wearable electronics powered by flexible batteries have experienced rapid technological growth. This perspective discusses the role that polymer design plays in their use as solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) and as binders, coatings and interlayers to address issues in solid-state batteries with inorganic solid electrolytes (ISEs). We also consider the value of tunable polymer flexibility, added capacity, skin compatibility and end-of-use degradability of polymeric materials in wearable technologies such as smartwatches and health monitoring devices. While many years have been spent on SPE development for batteries, delivering competitive performances to liquid and ISEs requires a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of ion transport in solid polymers. Advanced polymer design, including controlled (de)polymerisation strategies, precision dynamic chemistry and digital learning tools, might help identify these missing fundamental gaps towards faster, more selective ion transport. Regardless of the intended use as an electrolyte, composite electrode binder or bulk component in flexible electrodes, many parallels can be drawn between the various intrinsic polymer properties. These include mechanical performances, namely elasticity and flexibility; electrochemical stability, particularly against higher-voltage electrode materials; durable adhesive/cohesive properties; ionic and/or electronic conductivity; and ultimately, processability and fabrication into the battery. With this, we assess the latest developments, providing our views on the prospects of polymers in batteries and wearables, the challenges they might address, and emerging polymer chemistries that are still relatively under-utilised in this area.
固态电池在提供能量密度更高、更安全的电池以取代当前锂离子可充电技术方面日益成为焦点。与此同时，由柔性电池供电的可穿戴电子产品经历了快速的技术发展。本文探讨了聚合物设计在用作固体聚合物电解质（SPE）以及作为粘合剂、涂层和中间层以解决无机固体电解质（ISE）固态电池中的问题时所发挥的作用。我们还考虑了聚合物材料在智能手表和健康监测设备等可穿戴技术中可调节的聚合物柔韧性、额外容量、皮肤兼容性和使用后可降解性的价值。虽然在电池的SPE开发上已经花费了很多年，但要使其性能与液体电解质和ISE竞争，需要更深入地了解固体聚合物中离子传输的基本原理。先进的聚合物设计，包括可控（脱）聚合策略、精确动态化学和数字学习工具，可能有助于找出这些缺失的基本差距，以实现更快、更具选择性的离子传输。无论用作电解质、复合电极粘合剂还是柔性电极中的主体成分，各种聚合物固有特性之间都有许多相似之处。这些特性包括机械性能，即弹性和柔韧性；电化学稳定性，特别是对高压电极材料的稳定性；持久的粘合/内聚性能；离子和/或电子导电性；以及最终的可加工性和制成电池的能力。据此，我们评估了最新进展，对聚合物在电池和可穿戴设备中的前景、它们可能解决的挑战以及该领域仍相对未充分利用的新兴聚合物化学发表了我们的看法。
