A Heat-Resistant Poly(oxyphenylene benzimidazole)/Ethyl Cellulose Blended Polymer Membrane for Highly Safe Lithium-Ion Batteries

Nanocellulose Hybrid Membranes for Green Flexible Electronics: Interface Design and Functional Assemblies

Flexible electronics have garnered significant attention in recent years. The emergence of membrane electronics addresses several limitations of rigid counterparts, such as high Young's modulus, poor biocompatibility, and poor responsiveness. Nevertheless, the development of traditional polymer and semiconductor membranes faces serious limitations. Nanocellulose (NC), known for its multifunctionality, biocompatibility, biodegradability, high mechanical strength, structural flexibility, and reinforcing capabilities, presents an excellent possibility to develop flexible electronics depending on the self-assembly behavior. Meanwhile, the combination of NC and functional fillers enables the fabrication of high-performance membranes with amplification capabilities, making them suitable for application in conductive materials for sensing and energy storage applications. The creation includes preparation strategies and potential applications. Moreover, the interface reaction mechanism and micro/nano scale morphology structure of carbon-based materials, polymers, and metal oxides combined with NC hybrid membranes are summarized from a molecular perspective. We discuss the design strategies and performance trends for improving mechanical properties, thermal conductivity, heat resistance, optical performance, and electrical conductivity of NC hybrid membranes. The recent advancements in nanocellulose for flexible sensors, thermal management, supercapacitors, and solar cells are evaluated along with perspectives on the current challenges and future directions in the development of NC membrane-based multifunctional flexible electronics. It will help improve the development of green flexible electronics, thereby advancing future investigations of this field.

Organic-Inorganic Dual-Network Composite Separators for Lithium Metal Batteries

The suboptimal ionic conductivity of commercial polyolefin separators exacerbates uncontrolled lithium dendrite formation, deteriorating lithium metal battery performance and posing safety hazards. To address this challenge, a novel organic-inorganic composite separator designed is prepared to enhance ion transport and effectively suppress dendrite growth. This separator features a thermally stable, highly porous poly(m-phenylene isophthalamide) (PMIA) electrospun membrane, coated with ultralong hydroxyapatite (HAP) nanowires that promote "ion flow redistribution." The synergistic effects of the nitrogen atoms in PMIA and the hydroxyl groups in HAP hinder anion transport while facilitating efficient Li+ conduction. Meanwhile, the optimized unilateral pore structure ensures uniform ion transport. These results show that the 19 µm-thick HAP/PMIA composite separator achieves remarkable ionic conductivity (0.68 mS cm-1) and a high lithium-ion transference number (0.51). Lithium symmetric cells using HAP/PMIA separators exhibit a lifespan exceeding 1000 h with low polarization, significantly outperforming commercial polypropylene separators. Furthermore, this separator enables LiFePO4||Li cells to achieve an enhanced retention of 97.3% after 200 cycles at 1 C and demonstrates impressive rate capability with a discharge capacity of 72.7 mAh g-1 at 15 C.

Side Reactions/Changes in Lithium-Ion Batteries: Mechanisms and Strategies for Creating Safer and Better Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), in which lithium ions function as charge carriers, are considered the most competitive energy storage devices due to their high energy and power density. However, battery materials, especially with high capacity undergo side reactions and changes that result in capacity decay and safety issues. A deep understanding of the reactions that cause changes in the battery's internal components and the mechanisms of those reactions is needed to build safer and better batteries. This review focuses on the processes of battery failures, with voltage and temperature as the underlying factors. Voltage-induced failures result from anode interfacial reactions, current collector corrosion, cathode interfacial reactions, overcharge, and over-discharge, while temperature-induced failure mechanisms include SEI decomposition, separator damage, and interfacial reactions between electrodes and electrolytes. The review also presents protective strategies for controlling these reactions. As a result, the reader is offered a comprehensive overview of the safety features and failure mechanisms of various LIB components.

Eco-Friendly Lithium Separators: A Frontier Exploration of Cellulose-Based Materials

Lithium-ion batteries, as an excellent energy storage solution, require continuous innovation in component design to enhance safety and performance. In this review, we delve into the field of eco-friendly lithium-ion battery separators, focusing on the potential of cellulose-based materials as sustainable alternatives to traditional polyolefin separators. Our analysis shows that cellulose materials, with their inherent degradability and renewability, can provide exceptional thermal stability, electrolyte absorption capability, and economic feasibility. We systematically classify and analyze the latest advancements in cellulose-based battery separators, highlighting the critical role of their superior hydrophilicity and mechanical strength in improving ion transport efficiency and reducing internal short circuits. The novelty of this review lies in the comprehensive evaluation of synthesis methods and cost-effectiveness of cellulose-based separators, addressing significant knowledge gaps in the existing literature. We explore production processes and their scalability in detail, and propose innovative modification strategies such as chemical functionalization and nanocomposite integration to significantly enhance separator performance metrics. Our forward-looking discussion predicts the development trajectory of cellulose-based separators, identifying key areas for future research to overcome current challenges and accelerate the commercialization of these green technologies. Looking ahead, cellulose-based separators not only have the potential to meet but also to exceed the benchmarks set by traditional materials, providing compelling solutions for the next generation of lithium-ion batteries.

Development of hydrogel based on Carboxymethyl cellulose/poly(4-vinylpyridine) for controlled releasing of fertilizers

A novel Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and poly (4-vinylpyridine) (P4VP) hydrogel system is synthesized with different ratios, in the presence of cross-linker N, N,- methylene bis-acrylamide (MBA). The hydrogel is characterized via FTIR spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The FTIR results showed a strong interaction between both CMC, P4VP and the loaded fertilizer. The water uptake of the hydrogel was evaluated by swelling tests under variations in pH, biodegradability was investigated in soil to simulate real-world conditions. To determine the best release behavior of urea and calcium nitrate from the hydrogel, fertilizers were loaded with different ratios onto the hydrogel during its formation. Fertilizers release was followed by Atomic absorption spectroscopy to study the release of calcium nitrate and urea. Release kinetic parameters were obtained based on different mathematical models as Zero order, First order, Korsmeyer-Peppas and Higuchi models. The suitable proportionality between the mathematical models used and the fertilizers release was determined based on the correlation coefficients (R2). According to Zero order model urea release showed independent concentration. Based on Korsmeyer-Pappas and Higuchi models with high n value and R2 equals to 0.97. Compared to urea, Ca2+, Zero order and Higuchi have been ignored due to their poor correlation coefficients values as proportion with Ca2+ fertilizer release.

Polysaccharides for sustainable energy storage - A review

The increasing amount of electric vehicles on our streets as well as the need to store surplus energy from renewable sources such as wind, solar and tidal parks, has brought small and large scale batteries into the focus of academic and industrial research. While there has been huge progress in performance and cost reduction in the past years, batteries and their components still face several environmental issues including safety, toxicity, recycling and sustainability. In this review, we address these challenges by showcasing the potential of polysaccharide-based compounds and materials used in batteries. This particularly involves their use as electrode binders, separators and gel/solid polymer electrolytes. The review contains a historical section on the different battery technologies, considerations about safety on batteries and requirements of polysaccharide components to be used in different types of battery technologies. The last sections cover opportunities for polysaccharides as well as obstacles that prevent their wider use in battery industry.

Pure cellulose lithium-ion battery separator with tunable pore size and improved working stability by cellulose nanofibrils

Separator is a vital component of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to its important roles in the safety and electrochemical performance of the batteries. Herein, we reported a cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) reinforced pure cellulose paper (CCP) as a LIBs separator fabricated by a facile filtration process. The nanosized CNFs played crucial roles as a tuner to optimize the pore size of the as-prepared CCP, and also as a reinforcer to improve the mechanical strength of the resultant CCP. Results showed that the tensile strength of the CCP with 20 wt.% CNFs was 227 % higher compared to the commercial cellulose separator. In addition, the lithium cobalt oxide/lithium metal battery assembled with CCP separator displayed better cycle performance and working stability (capacity retention ratio of 91 % after 100 cycles) compared to the batteries with cellulose separator (52 %) and polypropylene separator (84 %) owing to the multiple synergies between CCP separator and electrolytes.

Preparation and Properties of an Alginate-Based Fiber Separator for Lithium-Ion Batteries

The membrane is one of the key inner parts of lithium-ion batteries, which determines the interfacial structure and internal resistance, ultimately affecting the capacity, cycling, and safety performance of the cell. In this article, an alginate-based fiber composite membrane was successfully fabricated from cellulose and calcium alginate with flame-retardant properties via a traditional papermaking process. In the membrane, the calcium alginate plays a bridging role and the cellulose acts as a filler. After 100 cycles, lithium-ion batteries by the alginate-based fiber separator exhibited better capacity retention ratios (approximately 90%) compared with those of commercial PP separators. Furthermore, the alginate-based fiber separator demonstrated fine thermal stability and electrochemical properties, showing a stable charge-discharge capability and no hot melt shrinkage at higher temperatures, which is a breakthrough in improving the safety of the cell. This research affords a new way for the large-scale fabrication of safe lithium-ion battery separators.