The electrodes of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are multicomponent systems and their electrochemical properties are influenced by each component, therefore the composition of electrodes should be properly balanced. At the beginning of lithium-ion battery research, most attention was paid to the nature, size, and morphology peculiarities of inorganic active components as the main components which determine the functional properties of electrode materials. Over the past decade, considerable attention has been paid to development of new binders, as the binders have shown great effect on the electrochemical performance of electrodes in LIBs. The study of new conductive binders, in particular water-based binders with enhanced electronic and ionic conductivity, has become a trend in the development of new electrode materials, especially the conversion/alloying-type anodes. This mini-review provides a summary on the progress of current research of the effects of binders on the electrochemical properties of intercalation electrodes, with particular attention to the mechanisms of binder effects. The comparative analysis of effects of three different binders (PEDOT:PSS/CMC, CMC, and PVDF) for a number of oxide-based and phosphate-based positive and negative electrodes for lithium-ion batteries was performed based on literature and our own published research data. It reveals that the combined PEDOT:PSS/CMC binder can be considered as a versatile component of lithium-ion battery electrode materials (for both positive and negative electrodes), effective in the wide range of electrode potentials.

Steady-state absorption spectra of poly-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (PEDOT) films at different oxidation degrees and their differential cyclic voltabsorptograms are studied in 0.1 M LiClO4, Bu4NBF4,...

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) and, in particular, Zn//MnO₂ rechargeable batteries have attracted great attention due to the abundant natural resources of zinc and manganese, low cost, environmental friendliness, and high operating voltage. Among the various ways to improve the electrochemical performance of MnO₂-based cathodes, the development of MnO₂ cathodes doped with metal ions or composites of MnO₂ with conducting polymers has shown such advantages as increasing the specific capacity and cycling stability. This mini-review focuses on the strategies to improve the electrochemical performance of manganese-based cathodes of AZIBs.

The influence of the electrode potential on the electric conductivity of polymer complexes of nickel with salen-type ligands (where salen is N,N′-ethylene-bis(salicylideneimine)) differing by...