Conducting Polymers with Tunable Properties for Sustainable Energy Storage
Authors: Wang Caiyun , Yang Yang , Yue Binbin , Li Sha , Jia Xiaoteng , Ge Yu , Wallace Gordon 
Published: February 2020

Conducting polymers possess the electronic properties of metals or metal oxides and mechanical properties of polymers. They can be regarded as sustainable and renewable material family providing clean and sustainable energy sources. The practical application of conducting polymers may tackle the renewable energy problem facing us.

Conducting polymers can offer the advantages of high charge storage, high conductivity, easy processability and environmental benign. Their properties can be tuned at the molecular level and fabricated into different forms for use. They can be used as electrodes alone. Also they can easily form composites between different types of organic conductors (e.g. conducting polymers, graphene), or even with conventional semiconductors metal oxides via different structural model. The synergistic effect between the components leads to the enhanced electrochemical properties or other novel function.   

Conducting polymers are the ideal candidate for use in flexible/wearable energy storage devices. Some cytocompatible organic conductors (e.g. PPy, PEDOT, graphene) can be used for biobatteries.

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