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In the coming decades, it is urgent to find a way to power the future while keeping a clean environment and strong economic growth. Thus, it is expected to transition from using fossil fuels to renewable energy. Materials based on cellulose are abundant, low cost, sustainable, possess a high surface area, good thermal stability, biocompatibility, mechanical flexibility, and inherit unique layered fiber structure from cellulose, which can act as an ideal electrolyte matrix for sustainable and high energy density lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs). In this review, we focus on energy storage application of different forms of cellulose‐based electrolytes in LIBs. Specifically, we summarize the recent advances of cellulose‐based gel and solid‐state electrolytes, focusing on the gel electrolytes based on different types of plasticizers (cellulose‐based electrolytes for flexible LIBs also are introduced). Finally, several perspectives related to the cellulose‐based‐electrolytes for LIBs are proposed based on recent progress and our own evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Designing and constructing novel topological all‐solid‐state polymer electrolyte (SPE) matrices can improve the ionic conducting ability of the prepared SPEs compared with the linear ones. Here, we construct a novel topological polymer electrolyte matrix using triphenylene as core and block poly(methyl methacrylate)‐poly(poly[ethylene glycol] methyl ether methacrylate) as arm. Specifically, the arm is attached onto the core via sequential atom transfer radical polymerization. The molecular weight of the polymers is well controlled via adjusting the inventory rating of monomers, the optimal SPE obtained via solution casting has an ambient temperature ionic conductivity of 3.69 × 10−5 S cm−1, which is higher than typical linear poly(ethylene oxide)‐based SPE (usually 10−6–10−8 S cm−1). The electrochemical performance is further improved through adding given contents of graphene‐oxide into the SPE. Thus, we believe, through molecular designing and the widely used composite tactics, new class of electrolytes with high‐electrochemical performance for all‐solid‐state Li‐ion batteries can be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this work, the ability of tuning work function for polymer carbon dots (PCDs) is systematically studied for the first time. Their application of both cathode and anode interlayers in polymer solar cells (PSCs) is achieved. PCDs possess abundant surface functional groups, which can be modified under control. Through regulating surface groups with more electron‐donating amino (PCD‐NH2) or electron‐withdrawing carboxy (PCD‐COOH), PCDs can decrease or increase work function of electrode, respectively. Therefore, PCD‐NH2 can act as cathode interlayer while PCD‐COOH plays the role of anode interlayer in PSCs. The single material system to act as both interlayers is rarely reported previously. This can simplify the design of materials and the device fabrication process. In addition, PCDs are green, low‐cost, stable, and easily fabricated. Therefore, it is demonstrated that PCDs are promising for commercial interlayer materials in optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aqueous‐solution‐processed solar cells (ASCs) are promising candidates of the next‐generation large‐area, low‐cost, and flexible photovoltaic conversion equipment because of their unique environmental friendly property. Aqueous‐solution‐processed polymer/nanocrystals (NCs) hybrid solar cells (AHSCs) can effectively integrate the advantages of the polymer (e.g., flexibility and lightweight) and the inorganic NCs (e.g., high mobility and broad absorption), and therefore be considered as an ideal system to further improve the performance of ASCs. In this work, double‐side bulk heterojunction (BHJ), in which one BHJ combines the active material with electron transport material and the other combines the active material with hole transport material, is developed in the AHSCs. Through comparing with the single‐side BHJ device, promoted carrier extraction, enhanced internal quantum efficiency, extended width of the depletion region, and prolonged carrier lifetime are achieved in double‐side BHJ devices. As a result, power conversion efficiency exceeding 6% is obtained, which breaks the bottleneck efficiency around ≈5.5%. This work demonstrates a device architecture which is more remarkable compared with the traditional only donor–acceptor blended BHJ. Under conservative estimation, it provides instructive architecture not only in the ASCs, but also in the organic solar cells (SCs), quantum dot SCs, and perovskite SCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A water-soluble conjugated polymer (WCP) poly[(3,4-dibromo-2,5-thienylene vinylene)- co-( p-phenylene-vinylene)] (PBTPV), containing thiophene rings with high charge-carrier mobility and benzene rings with excellent solubility is designed and prepared through Wessling polymerization. The PBTPV precursor can be easily processed by employing water or alcohols as the solvents, which are clean, environmentally friendly, and non-toxic compared with the highly toxic organic solvents such as chloroform and chlorobenzene. As a novel photoelectric material, PBTPV presents excellent hole-transport properties with a carrier mobility of 5 × 10−4 cm2 V−1 s−1 measured in an organic field-effect transistor device. By integrating PBTPV with aqueous CdTe nanocrystals (NCs) to produce the active layer of water-processed hybrid solar cells, the devices exhibit effective power conversion efficiency up to 3.3%. Moreover, the PBTPV can form strong coordination interactions with the CdTe NCs through the S atoms on the thiophene rings, and effective coordination with other nanoparticles can be reasonably expected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]