Molecularly engineered cellulose: the next-generation sustainable polymer electrolyte material

Abstract

Growing environmental imperatives are driving the need to substitute petroleum-derived materials with renewable and sustainable alternatives to enable the production of biodegradable and carbon-neutral products. As a naturally abundant and versatile biopolymer, cellulose has been extensively utilized in conventional industries such as papermaking and textiles and is increasingly being applied in emerging advanced fields, including energy storage, food technology, emulsions, coatings, cosmetics, and biomedical applications. With the iteration and development of energy technology, cellulose-mediated polymer electrolyte materials (PEMs) have re-emerged as the materials of interest to notable scientific and commercial communities due to their exceptional performance advantages in electrochemical energy storage. In this review, we comprehensively summarize and analyze the molecular engineering strategies, key features, and the corresponding construction strategies utilizing cellulose for the preparation of novel PEMs. Particularly, we provide a material and structural perspective on how the ionic conductivity, ion selectivity, anti-swelling properties, self-healing properties, flame retardancy, porosity, mechanical properties, and photoelectric stability of cellulose-mediated PEMs can be regulated through molecular chemistry. Finally, we examine the potential of these strategies in advancing circular economy principles and environmental sustainability objectives, while also identifying key challenges and outlining promising future research directions. We emphasize the critical need for advanced molecular-level chemical engineering to fully harness the potential of cellulose for energy-related applications.