Plastics and energy storage batteries

How sustainable is a battery system?

The sustainability of a battery system is also connected to the energy required for the production of the battery and its possibility to be recycled. Due to the required high thermal energy processes in the production of LIBs, one kWh of battery requires 300 to 400 kWh of energy in its production process.

Are polymer-based batteries sustainable?

Overall, polymer-based batteries offer some unique properties. High power densities can be achieved, and flexible or even bendable electrodes and, subsequently, devices can be fabricated. The materials utilized do not contain (heavy) metals and open up the possibility for a sustainable battery fabrication.

What is a polymer based battery?

Polymer-based batteries typically consist of the electrodes and the electrolyte/separator (see Section 4.4). The electrodes themselves typically consist of three components in different ratios: The active polymer (see Section 4.1), a conductive additive (see Section 4.2) as well as a polymeric binder (see Section 4.3).

Which materials can be used for energy storage?

Modern energy storage systems such as electric double layer capacitor (EDLC) and lithium-ion batteries have a great deal of potential for a wide range of applications. Carbon-derived materials are the most flexible and fundamental materials for the storage and conversion of modern energy.

Can polymer-based batteries be used in commercial applications?

Nevertheless, these systems have not found a commercial application. Today, Evonik Industries provides materials for printable, polymer-based batteries, which can be used for thin and flexible devices. The recent years have shown an increasing interest in polymer-based batteries.

Why are polymer-based batteries important?

The research on polymer-based batteries has made several scientific borrowings. One important milestone was the discovery of conductive polymers in the late 1970s, leading to the award of the Nobel Prize to the laureates Heeger, Shirakawa, and MacDiarmid, which constituted the ever-growing field of conductive π-conjugated polymers.