Work

Soft Ionic Materials: Design and Applications in Functional Electrochemical Systems

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: By integrating the rapid ionic transport of ionic liquids with the structural integrity of polymers, ionogels achieve high conductivity, mechanical flexibility, and environmental stability. These attributes position them as promising solid-state electrolytes for soft electronics. Recent molecular innovations have yielded ionogels with remarkable stretchability, toughness, and multifunctionality, broadening their scope of applications. This Perspective highlights molecular-level strategies, such as copolymer design and dynamic cross-linking via ionic or supramolecular interactions, that tailor polymer-ion interactions and network dynamics. We then discuss how these strategies regulate ionicity, diffusivity, and segmental mobility. These microscopic processes ultimately determine macroscopic transport properties and enable advanced devices such as strain sensors, electrochromic supercapacitors, thermoelectric generators, and triboelectric nanogenerators. Finally, by integrating molecular design with mechanistic insight, we provide a forward-looking framework for developing scalable, robust, and adaptive ionogels that underpin next-generation ionotronic systems.

Source: JACS Au

DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.5c01060

Authors: Hyeon Woo Yang, Daniel Sanghyun Cho, Juyoung Kang, Ji Hye Han, Yong Min Kim, Hong Chul Moon

Institutions: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Stanford University

Language: English

Topic: Advanced Battery Materials and Technologies

Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,500

Funder: National Research Foundation of Korea