Advanced Design of Organic Ionic Materials for the Boost of Electricity Generation, Storage, and Utilization

It is a great desire of advanced designed materials for electricity generation, storage, and utilization with boosted activity, multifunctionality, compatibility, stability, and durability. Organic ionic materials (OIMs) with superior conductivity, modifiability, and thermal/cold tolerance have great potential in meeting the demand. Ionic liquids, ionic polymers, polyelectrolytes, and new-emerging composite materials like ionic gels, ionic woods, and metallated covalent organic frameworks have been boomingly developed in recent years, with elaborated design of which, enhanced performance of burgeoning energy materials such as higher electrical output, larger energy capacity, wider tolerance of temperature and/or humidity, and longer durability have been promoted. Despite a few reviews that have generalized the applications of single-type OIMs in a certain field, there is a lack of comprehensive reviews focusing on advanced design of OIMs for boosting electricity generation, storage, and utilization. Herein, the new development of OIMs is timely and systematically reviewed focusing on electricity generation (generators), storage (batteries and supercapacitors), and utilization (sensors and actuators). Synthesis and modification strategies are summarized for material design, after which, fundamentals and mechanisms are illustrated as theoretical support. Then, advanced designs of OIMs are elaborated by taking electricity generation, storage, and utilization processes into consideration, followed by putting forward perspectives.