Polymer materials, together with their composites, are emerging as an important role in the field of energy applications. They hold the potential to provide versatile solutions for the challenges encountered in the fields of both energy storage and energy harvesting. Particularly, the booming of flexible electronics calls for a consistent and reliable power supply. Thus, various energy storage and harvesting systems with their respective characteristics serving as an indispensable component for these electronics are highly needed. Compared to inorganic materials, polymers and polymer-based composites exhibit the merits of easy-processability, intrinsic flexibility, low cost and structural tunability, revealing high potential in flexible electronics. These features also allow for easier assembly of highly-integrated multi-functional energy devices, thereby can promote the development of new energy techniques for practical applications.
Currently, studies on polymers and polymer-based composites are mainly focused on their performance improvement, less attention has been paid to efficient energy device design for practical applications. Therefore, highly-integrated energy devices, multi-functional energy devices, and flexible/wearable energy devices that are attracting growing attention should be particularly explored and investigated. The Research Topic focuses on polymer materials and their composites for energy applications. It covers the research areas of energy storage and energy harvesting, including the techniques of supercapacitors, batteries, thermoelectrics, photovoltaics, piezoelectrics, etc. Studies on flexible energy materials and/or devices are especially expected. Manuscripts can be submitted as Original Research, Reviews, Mini Reviews and Perspective articles.
The themes of manuscripts include but are not limited to:
1. Synthesis of new polymer molecules with attractive properties for energy applications.
2. Polymer-based composites fabricated with novel approaches or with unique nanostructures for energy applications.
3. Investigations of the working mechanisms of polymers and polymer-based composites in terms of their charge carrier transport properties.
4. Integrated, multi-functional or flexible/wearable energy device design to promote practical applications.
Keywords: Nanocomposites, Energy Storage, Energy Conversion, Flexible Energy Devices
Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
