To improve the dependability of flexible/stretchable energy storage devices, various self-healable polymer materials, such as PVA , ferric-ion-crosslinking sodium polyacrylate , flour , and PAA , are employed into their systems to serve as electrolytes.
The electrochemical storage systems generally consist of the electrodes, electrolyte, and current collector. These components are made up of carbon-based nanomaterials, conducting polymers, metal oxides, and conducting materials. These electrode materials are still not the ideal materials.
By virtue of their high designability, light weight, low cost, high stability, and mechanical flexibility, polymer materials have been widely used for realizing high electrochemical performance and excellent flexibility of energy storage devices.
The choice of materials used for a battery case has to cover a wide range of performance issues. Replacing steel or bonded aluminium with thermoplastics or glass fibre composites is offering lighter cases and more options for increasing the energy density by using larger components that can be more easily assembled.
The basic requirement for active materials utilized in batteries and pseudo-supercapacitors is a reversible electrochemical redox reaction. Organic polymer active materials can fulfill energy storage based on simple redox conversion reactions rather than the complex intercalation mechanisms of inorganic materials.
One plug-in hybrid EV built in China is already using a thermoplastic polypropylene compound instead of aluminium for its battery case cover, providing savings in weight. Other EVs now in production around world are using several thermoplastic materials for components such as cell carriers and housings, battery modules and battery enclosures.