Flexible and Self-Healing Aqueous Supercapacitors for Low Temperature Applications: Polyampholyte Gel Electrolytes with Biochar Electrodes

Ammonium Folate-Reinforced Self-Assembly of Gelatin into N/B/O-Enriched Hierarchical Porous Carbons with Loosely Layered Structure for Anti-Freezing Flexible Supercapacitors

Heteroatom-doped layered porous carbons are recently regarded as promising electrode materials for high energy density supercapacitors because they can integrate high-level heteroatom-doping and layered nano-space together to provide huge pseudocapacitive reaction areas and accelerate ion diffusion/transport. Herein, an innovative strategy is reported to prepare N/B/O co-doped layered porous carbons via ammonium folate-reinforced self-assembly of gelatin and boric acid followed by carbonization. Biomass-derived ammonium folate not only acts as an N-riched precursor but also can fasten in the process of self-assembly via boric acid-assisted electrostatic adsorption and hydrogen bonding to promote the formation of stable 3D cross-linked networks, resulting in the obtained N/B/O co-doped layered porous carbon (BNLC-850) has a large specific surface area (1822 m2 g-1 ), hierarchical porous structure and super-high heteroatom contents (N, 12.65; B, 5.67; and O, 13.84 at.%). The BNLC-850 achieves an ultrahigh specific capacitance of 525.2 F g-1 in the alkaline electrolyte at 0.5 A g-1 , meanwhile, DFT calculations reveal that the high-level N/B/O-doping can effectively weaken the adsorption barriers of K-ions. Moreover, the BNLC-850 assembles anti-freezing flexible solid-state supercapacitors in MPEI-TF-IL gel polymer electrolyte deliver a high energy density of 41.2 Wh kg-1 , excellent flexibility, and long cycle-life at -20 °C.

Valorization of Biomass-Derived Polymers to Functional Biochar Materials for Supercapacitor Applications via Pyrolysis: Advances and Perspectives

Polymers from biomass waste including plant/forest waste, biological industrial process waste, municipal solid waste, algae, and livestock are potential sources for renewable and sustainable resources. Converting biomass-derived polymers to functional biochar materials via pyrolysis is a mature and promising approach as these products can be widely utilized in many areas such as carbon sequestration, power production, environmental remediation, and energy storage. With abundant sources, low cost, and special features, the biochar derived from biological polymeric substances exhibits great potential to be an alternative electrode material of high-performance supercapacitors. To extend this scope of application, synthesis of high-quality biochar will be a key issue. This work systematically reviews the char formation mechanisms and technologies from polymeric substances in biomass waste and introduces energy storage mechanisms of supercapacitors to provide overall insight into the biological polymer-based char material for electrochemical energy storage. Aiming to enhance the capacitance of biochar-derived supercapacitor, recent progress in biochar modification approaches including surface activation, doping, and recombination is also summarized. This review can provide guidance for valorizing biomass waste to functional biochar materials for supercapacitor to meet future needs.

Improving the Energy Storage of Supercapattery Devices through Electrolyte Optimization for Mg(NbAgS)x(SO4)y Electrode Materials

Electrolytes are one of the most influential aspects determining the efficiency of electrochemical supercapacitors. Therefore, in this paper, we investigate the effect of introducing co-solvents of ester into ethylene carbonate (EC). The use of ester co-solvents in ethylene carbonate (EC) as an electrolyte for supercapacitors improves conductivity, electrochemical properties, and stability, allowing greater energy storage capacity and increased device durability. We synthesized extremely thin nanosheets of niobium silver sulfide using a hydrothermal process and mixed them with magnesium sulfate in different wt% ratios to produce Mg(NbAgS)_x)(SO₄)_y. The synergistic effect of MgSO₄ and NbS₂ increased the storage capacity and energy density of the supercapattery. Multivalent ion storage in Mg(NbAgS)_x(SO₄)_y enables the storage of a number of ions. The Mg(NbAgS)_x)(SO₄)_y was directly deposited on a nickel foam substrate using a simple and innovative electrodeposition approach. The synthesized silver Mg(NbAgS)_x)(SO₄)_y provided a maximum specific capacity of 2087 C/g at 2.0 A/g current density because of its substantial electrochemically active surface area and linked nanosheet channels which aid in ion transportation. The supercapattery was designed with Mg(NbAgS)_x)(SO₄)_y and activated carbon (AC) achieved a high energy density of 79 Wh/kg in addition to its high power density of 420 W/kg. The supercapattery (Mg(NbAgS)_x)(SO₄)_y//AC) was subjected to 15,000 consecutive cycles. The Coulombic efficiency of the device was 81% after 15,000 consecutive cycles while retaining a 78% capacity retention. This study reveals that the use of this novel electrode material (Mg(NbAgS)_x(SO₄)_y) in ester-based electrolytes has great potential in supercapattery applications.

Design and application of self-healable polymeric films and coatings for smart food packaging

Smart packaging materials enable active control of parameters that potentially influence the quality of a packaged food product. One type of these that have attracted extensive interest is self-healable films and coatings, which show the elegant, autonomous crack repairing ability upon the presence of appropriate stimuli. They exhibit increased durability and effectively lengthen the usage lifespan of the package. Over the years, extensive efforts have been paid to the design and development of polymeric materials that show self-healing properties; however, till now most of the discussions focus on the design of self-healable hydrogels. Efforts devoted to delineating related advances in the context of polymeric films and coatings are scant, not to mention works reviewing the use of self-healable polymeric materials for smart food packaging. This article fills this gap by offering a review of not only the major strategies for fabrication of self-healable polymeric films and coatings but also the mechanisms of the self-healing process. It is hoped that this article cannot only provide a snapshot of the recent development of self-healable food packaging materials, but insights into the optimization and design of new polymeric films and coatings with self-healing properties can also be gained for future research.

Bioinspired Freeze-Tolerant Soft Materials: Design, Properties, and Applications

In nature, many biological organisms have developed the exceptional antifreezing ability to survive in extremely cold environments. Inspired by the freeze resistance of these organisms, researchers have devoted extensive efforts to develop advanced freeze-tolerant soft materials and explore their potential applications in diverse areas such as electronic skin, soft robotics, flexible energy, and biological science. Herein, a comprehensive overview on the recent advancement of freeze-tolerant soft materials and their emerging applications from the perspective of bioinspiration and advanced material engineering is provided. First, the mechanisms underlying the freeze tolerance of cold-enduring biological organisms are introduced. Then, engineering strategies for developing antifreezing soft materials are summarized. Thereafter, recent advances in freeze-tolerant soft materials for different technological applications such as smart sensors and actuators, energy harvesting and storage, and cryogenic medical applications are presented. Finally, future challenges and opportunities for the rapid development of bioinspired freeze-tolerant soft materials are discussed.

Trimetallic Oxides/GO Composites Optimized with Carbon Ions Radiations for Supercapacitive Electrodes

Hydrothermally synthesized electrodes of Co3O4@MnO2@NiO/GO were produced for use in supercapacitors. Graphene oxide (GO) was incorporated into the nanocomposites used for electrode synthesis due to its great surface area and electrical conductivity. The synergistic alliance among these composites and GO enhances electrode performance, life span, and stability. The structural properties obtained from the X-ray diffraction (XRD) results suggest that nanocomposites are crystalline in nature. The synergistic alliance among these composites and GO enhances electrode performance, life span, and stability. Performance assessment of these electrodes indicates that their characteristic performance was enhanced by C2+ radiation, with the uttermost performance witnessed for electrodes radiated with 5.0 × 1015 ions/cm2.

Electrolytes with Micelle-Assisted Formation of Directional Ion Transport Channels for Aqueous Rechargeable Batteries with Impressive Performance

Low-cost and ecofriendly electrolytes with suppressed water reactivity and raised ionic conductivity are desirable for aqueous rechargeable batteries because it is a dilemma to decrease the water reactivity and increase the ionic conductivity at the same time. In this paper, Li₂SO₄–Na₂SO₄–sodium dodecyl sulfate (LN-SDS)-based aqueous electrolytes are designed, where: (i) Na⁺ ions dissociated from SDS increase the charge carrier concentration, (ii) DS⁻/SO₄²⁻ anions and Li⁺/Na⁺ cations are capable of trapping water molecules through hydrogen bonding and/or hydration, resulting in a lowered melting point, (iii) Li⁺ ions reduce the Krafft temperature of LN-SDS, (iv) Na⁺ and SO₄²⁻ ions increase the low-temperature electrolyte ionic conductivity, and (v) SDS micelle clusters are orderly aggregated to form directional ion transport channels, enabling the formation of quasi-continuous ion flows without (r.t.) and with (≤0 °C) applying voltage. The screened LN-SDS is featured with suppressed water reactivity and high ionic conductivity at temperatures ranging from room temperature to −15 °C. Additionally, NaTi₂(PO₄)₃‖LiMn₂O₄ batteries operating with LN-SDS manifest impressive electrochemical performance at both room temperature and −15 °C, especially the cycling stability and low-temperature performance.

Biomass-derived porous material synthesized by one-step calcination method for the magnetic solid phase extraction of polychlorinated biphenyls in water

Recent findings unfold that biomass materials with the micro/mesoporous structure were often treated as adsorbents for organic substances. In this work, one-step calcination method was adopted in the preparation of magnetic porous green bean biomass material. It has the properties of magnetism and porosity after the addition of Co(NO₃ )₂ and high temperature calcination. A variety of characterizations have been operated, including energy dispersive X-ray detector, vibrating sample magnetometer, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis and so on. It has the specific surface area 168.1611 m² ∙g^-1 and the pore volumes 0.1764 cm³ ∙g^-1 . The material was used in magnetic solid phase extraction of three polychlorinated biphenyls including 2-chlorobiphenyl, 4-chlorobiphenyl and 2,2,5-trichlorobiphenyl. Several factors were investigated, such as material amount, eluents, adsorption time, solution pH, salinity and the reusability. Under optimized conditions, good recoveries (90.24-93.34%) were achieved with the relative standard deviation in a range from 2.30 % to 4.83 %. Three real water samples (tap, river and lake water) were tested to verify the accuracy of the method. This method can be successfully used in the analysis of some polychlorinated biphenyls congeners in water. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Design of Fe3+-Rich, High-Conductivity Lignin Hydrogels for Supercapacitor and Sensor Applications

Preparation of natural polymer-based highly conductive hydrogels with tunable mechanical properties for applications in flexible electronics is still challenging. Herein, we report a facile method to prepare lignin-based Fe³⁺-rich, high-conductivity hydrogels via the following two-step process: (1) lignin hydrogels are prepared by cross-linking sulfonated lignin with poly(ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether (PEGDGE) and (2) Fe³⁺ ions are impregnated into the lignin hydrogel by simply soaking in FeCl₃. Benefiting from Fe³⁺ ion complexation with catechol groups and other functional groups in lignin, the resultant hydrogels exhibit unique properties, such as high conductivity (as high as 6.69 S·m^-1) and excellent mechanical and hydrophobic properties. As a strain sensor, the as-prepared lignin hydrogel shows high sensitivity when detecting various human motions. With the flow of moist air, the Fe³⁺-rich lignin hydrogel generates an output voltage of 162.8 mV. The assembled supercapacitor of the hydrogel electrolyte demonstrates a high specific capacitance of 301.8 F·g^-1, with a maximum energy density of 26.73 Wh·kg^-1, a power density of 2.38 kW·kg^-1, and a capacitance retention of 94.1% after 10 000 consecutive charge-discharge cycles. These results support the conclusion that lignin-based Fe³⁺-rich, high-conductivity hydrogels have promising applications in different fields, including sensors and supercapacitors, rendering a new platform for the value-added utilization of lignin.

Self-Healing Materials for Electronics Applications

Self-healing materials have been attracting the attention of the scientists over the past few decades because of their effectiveness in detecting damage and their autonomic healing response. Self-healing materials are an evolving and intriguing field of study that could lead to a substantial increase in the lifespan of materials, improve the reliability of materials, increase product safety, and lower product replacement costs. Within the past few years, various autonomic and non-autonomic self-healing systems have been developed using various approaches for a variety of applications. The inclusion of appropriate functionalities into these materials by various chemistries has enhanced their repair mechanisms activated by crack formation. This review article summarizes various self-healing techniques that are currently being explored and the associated chemistries that are involved in the preparation of self-healing composite materials. This paper further surveys the electronic applications of self-healing materials in the fields of energy harvesting devices, energy storage devices, and sensors. We expect this article to provide the reader with a far deeper understanding of self-healing materials and their healing mechanisms in various electronics applications.

A leather-based electrolyte for all-in-one configured flexible supercapacitors

Leather based gel electrolytes were prepared from the top down method, and integrated flexible supercapacitors were developed by this method.

Surface thermodynamics at the nanoscale

Fluid interfaces with nanoscale radii of curvature are generating great interest, both for their applications and as tools to probe our fundamental understanding. One important question is what is the smallest radius of curvature at which the three main thermodynamic combined equilibrium equations are valid: the Kelvin equation for the effect of curvature on vapor pressure, the Gibbs-Thomson equation for the curvature-induced freezing point depression, and the Ostwald-Freundlich equation for the curvature-induced increase in solubility. The objective of this Perspective is to provide conceptual, molecular modeling, and experimental support for the validity of these thermodynamic combined equilibrium equations down to the smallest interfacial radii of curvature. Important concepts underpinning thermodynamics, including ensemble averaging and Gibbs's treatment of bulk phase heterogeneities in the region of an interface, give reason to believe that these equations might be valid to smaller scales than was previously thought. There is significant molecular modeling and experimental support for all three of the Kelvin equation, the Gibbs-Thomson equation, and the Ostwald-Freundlich equation for interfacial radii of curvature from 1 to 4 nm. There is even evidence of sub-nanometer quantitative accuracy for the Kelvin equation and the Gibbs-Thomson equation.

Applications of Carbon in Rechargeable Electrochemical Power Sources: A Review

Rechargeable power sources are an essential element of large-scale energy systems based on renewable energy sources. One of the major challenges in rechargeable battery research is the development of electrode materials with good performance and low cost. Carbon-based materials have a wide range of properties, high electrical conductivity, and overall stability during cycling, making them suitable materials for batteries, including stationary and large-scale systems. This review summarizes the latest progress on materials based on elemental carbon for modern rechargeable electrochemical power sources, such as commonly used lead–acid and lithium-ion batteries. Use of carbon in promising technologies (lithium–sulfur, sodium-ion batteries, and supercapacitors) is also described. Carbon is a key element leading to more efficient energy storage in these power sources. The applications, modifications, possible bio-sources, and basic properties of carbon materials, as well as recent developments, are described in detail. Carbon materials presented in the review include nanomaterials (e.g., nanotubes, graphene) and composite materials with metals and their compounds.

Sulfobetaine Hydrogels with a Complex Multilength-Scale Hierarchical Structure

Hydrogels with a hierarchical structure were prepared from a new highly water-soluble crosslinker N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-N,N'-bis(2-ethylmethacrylate)-propyl-1,3-diammonium dibromide and from the sulfobetaine monomer 2-(N-3-sulfopropyl-N,N-dimethyl ammonium)ethyl methacrylate. The free radical polymerization of the two compounds is rapid and yields near-transparent hydrogels with sizes up to 5 cm in diameter. Rheology shows a clear correlation between the monomer-to-crosslinker ratio and the storage and loss moduli of the hydrogels. Cryo-scanning electron microscopy, low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and small-angle X-ray scattering show that the gels have a hierarchical structure with features spanning the nanometer to the sub-millimeter scale. The NMR study is challenged by the marked inhomogeneity of the gels and the complex chemical structure of the sulfobetaine monomer. NMR spectroscopy shows how these complications can be addressed via a novel fitting approach that considers the mobility gradient along the side chain of methacrylate-based monomers.

A Powder Self-Healable Hydrogel Electrolyte for Flexible Hybrid Supercapacitors with High Energy Density and Sustainability

Ionic conductive hydrogel electrolyte is considered to be an ideal electrolyte candidate for flexible supercapacitor due to its flexibility and high conductivity. However, due to the lack of effective recycling methods, a large number of ineffective flexible hydrogel supercapacitors caused by some irreversible damages and dryness of hydrogel electrolyte are abandoned, which would induce heavy economic and environmental protection problems. Herein,a smart ionic conductive hydrogel (SPMA-Zn: ZnSO₄ /sodium alginate/polymethylacrylic acid) is developed for flexible hybrid supercapacitor (SPMA-ZHS). The SPMA-Zn exhibits an excellent self-healing ability and can recover its electrochemical performance after multiple mechanical damages. More importantly, it possesses an outstanding powder self-healable property, which could easily regenerate the hydrogel electrolyte after powdering, and maintain stable electrochemical performance of SPMA-ZHS. Besides, the SPMA-ZHS displays excellent electrochemical performance with a wide and stable working voltage range of 0-2.2 V, high energy density of 164.13 Wh kg^-1 at the power density of 1283.44 Wh kg^-1 and good stability with a capacity retention of 95.3% after 5000 charge/discharge cycles at 10 A g^-1 . The strategy in this work would provide a new insight in exploring flexible hydrogel electrolyte-based supercapacitor with good sustainability and high energy density for flexible wearable electronic devices.

Gibbsian Surface Thermodynamics

Gibbsian composite-system thermodynamics is the framework governing the equilibrium of composite systems, including systems that at equilibrium have more than one value of pressure because of the action of surface tension, semipermeable membranes, or fields, and thus cannot be treated as simple systems. J. W. Gibbs's paper that lays out composite-system thermodynamics, "On the Equilibrium of Heterogeneous Substances", communicated in two parts in 1876 and 1878, is widely regarded as one of the most important pieces of scientific literature of its century. Many scientists adopted and stressed the importance of Gibbsian thermodynamics. In 1960, H. B. Callen wrote a textbook that made Gibbsian composite-system thermodynamics more accessible to thermodynamicists. However, Callen's book left out Gibbs's work on curved fluid interfaces and did not treat the complicated nonideal systems of interest to today's thermodynamicists. In this Feature Article, I have attempted to convey in a comprehensive manner the framework of Gibbsian composite-system thermodynamics including in detail the treatment of systems with interface effects and with nonideal, multicomponent phases. This work lays out the relationships between important equilibrium equations including the following: the Gibbs-Duhem equation, the Gibbs adsorption equation, the Young-Laplace equation, the Young equation, the Cassie-Baxter equation, the Wenzel equation, the Kelvin equation, the Gibbs-Thompson equation, and the Ostwald-Freundlich equation, including nonideal and multicomponent forms. Equations of state that are often useful for Gibbsian composite-system thermodynamics are reviewed including adsorption isotherms and our own work on two semiempirical equations of state: the Elliott et al. form of the osmotic virial equation and the Shardt-Elliott-Connors-Wright equation for the temperature and composition dependence of surface tension. I summarize the work of our group developing Gibbisan composite-system thermodynamics including new equations for such things as the curvature-induced depression of the eutectic temperature or the removal of azeotropes by nanoscale fluid interface curvature. Gibbsian composite-system thermodynamics has broad applications in biotechnology, nanostructured materials, surface textures and coatings, microfluidics, nanoscience, atmospheric and environmental physics, among others.

Skin-Inspired Surface-Microstructured Tough Hydrogel Electrolytes for Stretchable Supercapacitors

Double-network tough hydrogels have raised increasing interest in stretchable electronic applications as well as electronic skin (e-skin) owing to their excellent mechanical properties and functionalities. While hydrogels have been extensively explored as solid-state electrolytes, stretchable energy storage devices based on tough hydrogel electrolytes are still limited despite their high stretchability and strength. A key challenge remains in the robust electrode/electrolyte interface under large mechanical strains. Inspired by the skin structure that involves the microstructured interface for the tight connection between the dermis and epidermis, we demonstrated that a surface-microstructured tough hydrogel electrolyte composed of agar/polyacrylamide/LiCl (AG/PAAm/LiCl) could be exploited to allow stretchable supercapacitors with enhanced mechanical and electrochemical performance. The prestretched tough hydrogel electrolyte was treated to generate surface microstructures with a roughness of tens of micrometers simply via mechanical rubbing followed by the attachment of activated carbon electrodes on both sides to realize the fabrication of the stretchable supercapacitor. Through investigating the properties of the tough hydrogel electrolyte and the electrochemical performance of the as-fabricated supercapacitors under varied strains, the surface-microstructured hydrogel electrolyte was shown to enable robust adhesion to electrodes, improving electrochemical behavior and capacitance, as well as having better performance retention under repeated stretching cycles, which surpassed the pristine hydrogel with smooth surfaces. Our approach could provide an alternative and general strategy to improve the interfacial properties between the electrode and the hydrogel electrolyte, driving new directions for functional stretchable devices based on tough hydrogels.

Specific Ion Effects in Polyampholyte Hydrogels Dialyzed in Aqueous Electrolytic Solutions

Polyampholyte hydrogels (PAHs) constitute a class of physical gels with cross-linking originating from inter- and intrachain ionic cross-linking between countercharged functional groups. In our previous report, we have shown that PAH has the potential to be a gel electrolyte in electrochemical energy storage devices. In this work, we further our understanding of charge-balanced PAH as a host material for gel electrolytes by studying the effect of dialysis on the mechanical properties and ionic conductivities of PAHs, whereas these properties are compared with those of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-based gel electrolytes. Here, various electrolyte solutions were investigated as dialyzing agents. The ionic species in the electrolytes form ion pairs with countercharged functional groups in PAH, whereas such interactions govern the ionic conductivity and mechanical strength of PAH in various electrolytes. For anions, the trend in ionic interactions follows the Hofmeister series in an exact manner, whereas some anomaly is observed among cations. We anticipate that our study provides a design criterion for fabricating gel electrolytes. In a broader context, this work can shed light on understanding the behavior of PAHs in various operational environments, such as under physiological conditions and in antifouling coatings for biomedical and maritime applications, respectively.

A Stretchable and Self-Healing Energy Storage Device Based on Mechanically and Electrically Restorative Liquid-Metal Particles and Carboxylated Polyurethane Composites

Stretchable and self-healing (SH) energy storage devices are indispensable elements in energy-autonomous electronic skin. However, the current collectors are not self-healable nor intrinsically stretchable, they mostly rely on strain-accommodating structures that require complex processing, are often limited in stretchability, and suffer from low device packing density and fragility. Here, an SH conductor comprising nickel flakes, eutectic gallium indium particles (EGaInPs), and carboxylated polyurethane (CPU) is presented. An energy storage device is constructed by the two SH electrodes assembled with graphene nanoplatelets sandwiching an ionic-liquid electrolyte. An excellent electrochemical healability (94% capacity retention upon restretching at 100% after healing from bifurcation) is unveiled, stemming from the complexation modulated redox behavior of EGaIn in the presence of the ligand bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, which enhances the reversible Faradaic reaction of Ga. Self-healing can be achieved where the damaged regions are electrically restored by the flow of liquid metal and mechanically healing activated by the interfacial hydrogen bonding of CPU with an efficiency of 97.5% can be achieved. The SH conductor has an initial conductivity of 2479 S cm^-1 that attains a high stretchability with 700% strain, it restores 100% stretchability even after breaking/healing with the electrical healing efficiency of 75%.

Water-Deactivated Polyelectrolyte Hydrogel Electrolytes for Flexible High-Voltage Supercapacitors

With the boom of flexible electronic products and wearable devices, flexible energy storage devices, for example, supercapacitors with high performance, are attracting increasing interest. A flexible water-deactivated polyelectrolyte hydrogel electrolyte with good mechanical properties and high ionic conductivity was prepared by using an anionic polymer, carboxy methyl cellulose, and a cationic monomer, methacrylamidopropyltrimethyl ammonium chloride. It was then applied in a supercapacitor with flexible activated carbon electrodes. This flexible supercapacitor possesses a high operating voltage of 2.1 V owing to the low electrochemical activity for water within the hydrogel as a result of the 'molecular cages' effect and hydrophilic interactions between functional groups and surrounding water molecules. Furthermore, this supercapacitor exhibits good flexibility and tailorability. As the first example of water-deactivated polyelectrolyte hydrogel electrolytes in applications involving flexible high-voltage supercapacitors, this work provides a platform for the design of energy storage devices with high energy density for flexible and wearable electronic devices.

Electrostatically Interactive Injectable Hydrogels for Drug Delivery

BACKGROUND

Several injectable hydrogels have been developed extensively for a broad range of biomedical applications. Injectable hydrogels forming in situ through the change in external stimuli have the distinct properties of easy management and minimal invasiveness, and thus provide the advantage of bypassing surgical procedures for administration resulting in better patient compliance.

METHODS

The injectable in situ-forming hydrogels can be formed irreversibly or reversibly under physiological stimuli. Among several external stimuli that induce formation of hydrogels in situ, in this review, we focused on the electrostatic interactions as the most simple and interesting stimulus.

RESULTS

Currently, numerous polyelectrolytes have been reported as potential electrostatically interactive in situ-forming hydrogels. In this review, a comprehensive overview of the rapidly developing electrostatically interactive in situ-forming hydrogels, which are produced by various anionic and cationic polyelectrolytes such as chitosan, celluloses, and alginates, has been outlined and summarized. Further, their biomedical applications have also been discussed.

CONCLUSION

The review concludes with perspectives on the future of electrostatically interactive in situ-forming hydrogels.

A Flexible Stretchable Hydrogel Electrolyte for Healable All-in-One Configured Supercapacitors

The development of integrated high-performance supercapacitors with all-in-one configuration, excellent flexibility and autonomously intrinsic self-healability, and without the extra healable film layers, is still tremendously challenging. Compared to the sandwich-like laminated structures of supercapacitors with augmented interfacial contact resistance, the flexible healable integrated supercapacitor with all-in-one structure could theoretically improve their interfacial contact resistance and energy densities, simplify the tedious device assembly process, prolong the lifetime, and avoid the displacement and delamination of multilayered configurations under deformations. Herein, a flexible healable all-in-one configured supercapacitor with excellent flexibility and reliable self-healing ability by avoiding the extra healable film substrates and the postassembled sandwich-like laminated structures is developed. The healable all-in-one configured supercapacitor is prepared from in situ polymerization and deposition of nanocomposites electrode materials onto the two-sided faces of the self-healing hydrogel electrolyte separator. The self-healing hydrogel film is obtained from the physically crosslinked hydrogel with enormous hydrogen bonds, which can endow the healable capability through dynamic hydrogen bonding. The assembled all-in-one configured supercapacitor exhibits enhanced capacitive performance, good cycling stability, reliable self-healing capability, and excellent flexibility. It holds broad prospects for obtaining various flexible healable all-in-one configured supercapacitors for working as portable energy storage devices in wearable electronics.

Recent Achievements of Self-Healing Graphene/Polymer Composites

Self-healing materials have attracted much attention because that they possess the ability to increase the lifetime of materials and reduce the total cost of systems during the process of long-term use; incorporation of functional material enlarges their applications. Graphene, as a promising additive, has received great attention due to its large specific surface area, ultrahigh conductivity, strong antioxidant characteristics, thermal stability, high thermal conductivity, and good mechanical properties. In this brief review, graphene-containing polymer composites with self-healing properties are summarized including their preparations, self-healing conditions, properties, and applications. In addition, future perspectives of graphene/polymer composites are briefly discussed.

Highly Flexible, Multipixelated Thermosensitive Smart Windows Made of Tough Hydrogels

In a cold night, a clear window that will become opaque while retaining the indoor heat is highly desirable for both privacy and energy efficiency. A thermally responsive material that controls both the transmittance of solar radiance (predominantly in the visible and near-infrared wavelengths) and blackbody radiation (mainly in the mid-infrared) can realize such windows with minimal energy consumption. Here, we report a smart coating made from polyampholyte hydrogel (PAH) that transforms from a transparency state to opacity to visible radiation and strengthens opacity to mid-infrared when lowering the temperature as a result of phase separation between the water-rich and polymer-rich phases. To match a typical temperature fluctuation during the day, we fine-tune the phase transition temperature between 25 and 55 °C by introducing a small amount of relatively hydrophobic monomers (0.1 to 0.5 wt % to PAH). To further demonstrate an actively controlled, highly flexible, and high-contrast smart window, we build in an array of electric heaters made of printed elastomeric composite. The multipixelated window offers rapid switching, ∼70 s per cycle, whereas the device can withstand high strain (up to 80%) during operations.