Insight into Cellulose Nanosizing for Advanced Electrochemical Energy Storage and Conversion: A Review

Wenbin Kang; Li Zeng; Xingang Liu; Hanna He; Xiaolong Li; Wei Zhang; Pooi See Lee; Qi Wang; Chuhong Zhang

doi:10.1007/s41918-022-00151-9

Electrochemical Energy Reviews ›› 2022, Vol. 5 ›› Issue (3) DOI: 10.1007/s41918-022-00151-9

Review Article

Insight into Cellulose Nanosizing for Advanced Electrochemical Energy Storage and Conversion: A Review

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¹State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Polymer Research Institute, Sichuan University, 610065, Chengdu, Sichuan, China

²State Key Laboratory of Environment-Friendly Energy Materials, Southwest University of Science and Technology, 621010, Mianyang, China

³School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, 639798, Singapore, Singapore

^j chuhong.zhang@scu.edu.cn

Wenbin Kang

carried out his research at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, where he obtained his Ph.D. degree in Materials Engineering (2012–2017). He later joined the State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Polymer Research Institute of Sichuan University as an associate professor. Dr. Kang jointed State Key Laboratory of Environment-Friendly Energy Materials, Southwest University of Science and Technology as a professor in 2021. His current research focus is on designing high-performance deformable electrochemical devices.

Chuhong Zhang

obtained her Ph.D. degree in Materials Science from Heriot-Watt University, UK (2001–2004), and she worked as a research fellow at the University of St Andrews, UK, from 2004 to 2012. She is now a professor at the State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Polymer Research Institute of Sichuan University. Her research focus is on energy materials and devices, especially on novel functional polymer composite materials and advanced polymer processing techniques for energy storage and conversion applications.

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Abstract

Living in a world of heavy industrialization and confronted by the ever-deteriorating environment, the human race is now undertaking serious efforts to reach the target of carbon neutrality. One major step is to promote the development of sustainable electrochemical energy storage and conversion technologies based on green resources instead of the traditional nonreusable petroleum-based technologies. As an almost inexhaustible bioresource, nanocellulose derived from natural biomass exhibits outstanding physiochemical properties that could be well leveraged to bring about numerous opportunities for electrochemical processes. Through structure engineering, nanocellulose with a width of a few tens of nanometers and a length of up to micrometers could be realized. The drastic reduction in dimensions leads to superior mechanical, optical, and functional properties inaccessible to the bulky cellulose counterpart. In this review, different types of nanocellulose with distinctive physiochemical properties and their respective preparation methods are first examined. This is followed by a detailed and insightful analysis of the superiority and unprecedented performance gains that nanocellulose imparts to different electrochemical energy storage and conversion applications as a result of nanosizing. Finally, we humbly put forward our perspectives on the problems regarding current studies as well as on the future research direction for nanocellulose-mediated electrochemical processes to enable practical applications. This review is intended as guidance to initiate cross-disciplinary research effort in this engaging field and help evoke inspiration to effect solutions to critical energy issues of the day.

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Wenbin Kang, Li Zeng, Xingang Liu, Hanna He, Xiaolong Li, Wei Zhang, Pooi See Lee, Qi Wang, Chuhong Zhang. Insight into Cellulose Nanosizing for Advanced Electrochemical Energy Storage and Conversion: A Review. Electrochemical Energy Reviews, 2022, 5(3): DOI:10.1007/s41918-022-00151-9