Recent Advances p-type Polymeric Electrode Materials towards High-Voltage 4.0 V-class Organic Lithium-ion Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries stand at the forefront of energy storage technologies, facilitating the transition towards sustainable and electrified systems. To meet the increasing demands for energy density, safety, and longevity, the development of high-performance electrode materials is paramount. Although inorganic materials have been dominated in the current lithium-ion battery cathodes, the widely utilized inorganic cathode materials suffer from drawbacks such as limited capacity, high energy consumption during production, safety hazards associated with toxic metals (Li, Co, Mn, Ni), and high raw material costs due to the limited or localized resource distributions. Alternatively, polymeric materials have been seen and considered as a promising candidate to replace conventional inorganic materials, due to their advantages such as abundance and environmentally friendly resources, structural diversity, ease of functionalization, fabrication, and recycling, high capacity and rate capability, and excellent flexibility. This review article explores the strategic design principles underlying the synthesis and optimization of p-type polymeric electrode materials for next-generation 4.0 V-class batteries. Through a comprehensive analysis of recent advancements, morphology control, and interface engineering, this review elucidates the key strategies employed to achieve high-energy-density electrodes. Additionally, this review discusses the fundamental mechanisms governing the electrochemical performance of p-type polymeric electrodes and highlights emerging trends and future directions in the field. By integrating insights from materials science, electrochemistry, and engineering, this paper provides a roadmap for the rational design and development of p-type polymeric electrode materials towards the realization of high-performance 4.0 V-class lithium-ion batteries.