Polymer Engineering Enables High Linear Capacity Fiber Electrodes by Microenvironment Regulation

Abstract

Abstract Unlike bulky and rigid traditional power systems, 1D fiber batteries possess appealing features such as flexibility and adaptability, which are promising for use in wearable electronic devices. However, the performance and energy density fiber batteries are limited by the contradiction between ionic transfer and robust structure of fiber electrodes. Herein, these problems are addressed via polymer engineering to regulate the microenvironment in electrodes, realizing high‐linear‐capacity thick fiber electrodes with excellent cycling performance. The porosity of the electrodes is regulated using polymer crosslink networks designed with various components, and lithium‐ion transfer is optimized through ether‐abundant polymer chains. Furthermore, reinforced covalent bonding with carbon nanotube networks is established based on the modified functional groups of polymer networks. The multiscale optimizations of the porous structure, ionic transportation, and covalent bonding network enhance the lithium‐ion dynamics property and structural stability. Therefore, ultrahigh linear‐capacity fiber electrodes (17.8 mAh m−1) can be fabricated on a large scale and exhibit excellent stability (92.8% after 800 cycles), demonstrating obvious superiority among the reported fiber electrodes. Moreover, this study highlights the high effectiveness of polymer regulation in fiber electrodes and offers new avenues for designing next‐generation wearable energy‐storage systems.

Keywords

• flexible fiber electrodes
• high linear capacity
• ionic dynamics
• microenvironment
• polymer engineering