Cotton and cellulose for supercapacitor-based carbon materials and conductive polymers

Cotton fibres, a natural form of cellulose, have played a pivotal role in developing wearable energy storage devices due to their wearability, integrability, environmental friendliness, and cost-effectiveness. Derived from plant cellulose, cotton has garnered significant attention for its potential in lightweight and wearable electronic devices, particularly energy storage systems, to meet the growing demand for wearable e-textiles. The combination of wearability, environmental sustainability, affordability, and superior electrochemical performance dramatically enhances the potential of cotton-based energy storage devices. The unique structure of cotton provides a large surface area, creating an ideal platform for loading active materials, facilitating charge/ion transfer, and promoting efficient ion migration. These characteristics make cotton and cellulose-based fibres highly effective in fabricating one-dimensional (1D) supercapacitors, demonstrating excellent electrochemical, mechanical, and wearable performance.

However, the intrinsic electrical insulation of cotton limits its effectiveness in energy storage applications. The challenge of coating or embedding active and conductive materials onto cotton’s nonconductive surface has been overcome by various tactics. Conductive polymers, being versatile and multifunctional materials, offer promising solutions to revolutionize industries by addressing diverse challenges in energy storage. The application of conductive polymers in supercapacitors is explored extensively in this review. Finally, we discuss the challenges and future perspectives in this exciting and rapidly evolving field.