Designing double comb copolymer as highly lithium ionic conductive solid-state electrolyte membranes

An amphiphilic PVDF-g-POEM double comb copolymer-based solid-state electrolyte for EDLC applications: electrochemical and electrical property studies

A modified polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)-based electrolyte, amphiphilic polyvinylidene fluoride-graft-poly(ethylene glycol)methyl ether methacrylate (PVDF-g-POEM), double comb copolymer is synthesized for use as a solid-state electrolyte within an electric double layer capacitor (EDLC). The double comb copolymer is synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The solid-state electrolyte prepared using the amphiphilic PVDF-g-POEM double comb copolymer shows increased ionic conductivities, compared to that of the hydrophobic PVDF-based electrolyte. Incorporating hydrophilic POEM chains into semi-crystalline hydrophobic PVDF results in nanophase separation and decreased polymer crystallinity, yielding facile ion transport pathways and enhancing the ionic conductivity. The electrochemical and electrical characteristics of the prepared EDLC cells are investigated using cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge cycling, and impedance spectroscopy. The specific capacitance of 38.07 F g-1 (0.5 A g-1) was achieved with an energy density of 25.59 W h kg-1 at a power density of 0.275 kW kg-1. After 8000 cycles (1 A g-1), the cells show a capacitive retention of 95.6%, with an 85% coulombic efficiency.

Methyl Methacrylate-Based Copolymers: Recent Developments in the Areas of Transparent and Stretchable Active Matrices

The recent advancements of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) as a transparent flexible polymer material have been utilized in numerous areas of engineering and materials science. PMMA-based copolymers demonstrate outstanding mechanical and optical properties owing to high transparency, lightweight nature, high impact resistance, and stress relaxation across glass transition temperature. These copolymers have unique characteristics of retaining optical and microstructural integrities during successive bending or elongations which make them an attractive choice for materials of stretchable electronics. In particular, there has been an escalated rise in the use of methyl methacrylate (MMA)-based transparent and stretchable copolymer films during the recent decades. Therefore, we have highlighted these recent developments into a comprehensive review in order to aid the future progress in these diverse fields. Herein, we have highlighted the scope of MMA as an important building block for the synthesis of highly transparent and flexible materials. The synthetic pathways of these copolymer materials and the resulting mechanical properties have been discussed. Moreover, the immense scope of these copolymer films has been highlighted by virtue of their applications in various industries.