A Review of Current Trends on Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA)-Based Solid Polymer Electrolytes

Abstract

Presently, the rising concerns about the fossil fuel crisis and ecological deterioration have greatly affected the world economy and hence have attracted attention to the utilization of renewable energies. Among the renewable energy being developed, supercapacitors hold great promise in broad applications such as electric vehicles. Presently, the main challenge facing supercapacitors is the amount of energy stored. This, however, does not satisfy the increasing demand for higher energy storage devices, and therefore, intensive research is being undertaken to overcome the challenges of low energy density. The purpose of this review is to report on solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The review discussed the PVA as a host polymer in SPEs followed by a discussion on the influence of conducting salts. The formation of SPEs as well as the ion transport mechanism in PVA SPEs were discussed. The application and development of PVA-based polymer electrolytes on supercapacitors and other energy storage devices were elucidated. The fundamentals of electrochemical characterization for analyzing the mechanism of supercapacitor applications, such as EIS, LSV and dielectric constant, are highlighted. Similarly, thermodynamic transport models of ions and their mechanism about temperature based on Arrhenius and Vogel–Tammann–Fulcher (VTF) are analyzed. Methods for enhancing the electrochemical performance of PVA-based SPEs were reported. Likely challenges facing the current electrolytes are well discussed. Finally, research directions to overcome the present challenges in producing SPEs are proposed. Therefore, this review is expected to be source material for other researchers concerned with the development of PVA-based SPE material.

Synergistic Blends of Sodium Alginate and Pectin Biopolymer Hosts as Conducting Electrolytes for Electrochemical Applications

“…Furthermore, at higher frequencies, M ′ displays a maximum value, and it could be due to the conductivity relaxation process. SBBE insights about the impedance values, charge transport, fast jumping, and ionic mobility are consistent with many other polymer electrolytes that have previously been addressed . The amorphous area reduces and segmental mobility bases a minor relaxation peak to arise in the real ( M ′) and imaginary ( M ″) sections of the electrical modulus in SBBEs.…”

Achieving High Ionic Conductivity and Mechanical Strength by a Leather Gel Electrolyte for Flexible Zinc-Ion Batteries

“…These findings suggest that the PVA-based FZIB does not exhibit the same level of durability and reliability as the FZIB using LGE. The electrochemical performance of the FZIB based on the PVA-based electrolyte is less favorable compared to the results reported for PVA-based batteries. , This is mainly due to (1) the low ionic conductivity of this PVA-based electrolyte and (2) the fact that the FZIB was assembled using the same method as the LGE, which is an all-solid-state battery with a more difficult ionic transport between the electrolyte and the electrodes.…”

Tough, Freeze-Resistant, Pressure-Response Gel Polymer Electrolytes with Redox Pairs for Flexible Supercapacitors

“…Utilizing the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) technique, an exhaustive examination of the key transformations and dynamic bond formation processes within gel electrolytes was conducted. As illustrated in Figure 2a, observable stretching vibration peaks at 3280 cm −1 , 2940 22,30 Simultaneously, the stretching vibration peaks at 1591 cm −1 , 1407 cm −1 , and 998 cm −1 are assigned to the asymmetric stretching of O−C�O, the symmetric stretching of C�O, and the stretching vibration of C−O, respectively, characterizing pure SA. 19,22,31 In comparison to PS, the positions of the COO − peaks in FPS and FLPS shift from 1636 cm −1 to 1620 cm −1 and 1597 cm −1 , accompanied by an increased peak intensity.…”

“…Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is commonly employed as a polymer matrix of electrolytes for flexible supercapacitors due to its high hydrophily, excellent chemical stability, thermal stability, and cost-effectiveness. 29,30 However, the mechanical strength of PVA-based electrolytes is relatively poor. Sodium alginate (SA) possesses a high specific surface area, tunability, and excellent electrolyte adsorption properties.…”