The advances in polymer electrolyte design strategies for highly efficient supercapacitors and Zn-based batteries

Abstract

Electrolytes play a crucial role in the performance of electrochemical energy storage systems, such as batteries and supercapacitors. Their main function is to act as a medium for ion transport between the electrodes, which is essential for the charge and discharge processes. Beyond this, the electrochemical performance of the device is strongly affected by the various properties of the electrolytes such as its ionic conductivity, chemical, thermal and electrochemical stability, chemical compatibility, etc. The intrinsic limitation of the aqueous electrolytes such as its decomposition as high voltage operations led to the development of better electrolytes for batteries and supercapacitors. This included non-aqueous electrolytes, inorganic solid-state electrolytes, and gel polymer electrolytes. This feature article summarises the various approaches to designing a highly efficient electrolyte for the targeted application along with the suitable device fabrication strategy adopted in the current literature to meet the balanced electrochemical performance with the liquid device.