# Conductive Polymers in Lithium-Ion Battery Cathodes: Enhancing Performance and Stability

**Authors:** Mobinul Islam, Gazi A. K. M. Rafiqul Bari, Kyung-Wan Nam

PMC · DOI: 10.3390/polym18040429 · 2026-02-08

## TL;DR

This review explores how conductive polymers improve lithium-ion battery cathodes by enhancing conductivity, stability, and performance through composite materials.

## Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive review of synthesis methods and morphology effects of conductive polymer composites in LIBs.

## Key findings

- Conductive polymer composites improve electrical conductivity and prevent electrode pulverization in LIBs.
- Composites with metal oxides, phosphates, and sulfides enhance energy density and cycling performance.
- Morphology significantly influences the electrochemical performance of these composites.

## Abstract

Conducting polymers are extensively researched due to their remarkable characteristics, including adaptable and tunable electrical conductivity, straightforward manufacturing process, enhanced mechanical strength, lightweight composition, affordability, and convenience in handling. Furthermore, they demonstrate outstanding chemical stability and elevated thermal conductivity. Conducting polymers can be easily modified with other substances to create composites with improved performance. They are easy to integrate with other materials, such as metal oxide, metal sulfide, and metal nitride. In the energy sector, especially concerning electrochemical energy storage systems such as lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), conducting polymer composites with metal oxide, phosphate, and sulfide have shown considerable promise as electrode materials. These composites leverage synergistic effects that improve electrical conductivity, increase surface area, and prevent electrode pulverization, ultimately resulting in faster charge and discharge cycles, higher energy density, and enhanced cycling performance. This review offers a comprehensive examination of different types of conducting polymers used in LIB electrodes, provides hints regarding several synthesis methods for producing conducting polymer composites with metal oxide, phosphate, and sulfide, and discusses how the morphology of these composites influences their electrochemical performance.

## Full-text entities

- **Diseases:** injury to (MESH:D014947), crack (MESH:D003387)
- **Chemicals:** PAA (MESH:D010463), Ni (MESH:D009532), PPy (MESH:C067635), Olivine (MESH:C034475), PEG (MESH:D011092), LiMn2O4 (MESH:C488552), nitrogen (MESH:D009584), ethylene carbonate (MESH:C031133), Carboxylic acid (MESH:D002264), C (MESH:D002244), ethylene oxide (MESH:D005027), polyacrylamide (MESH:C016679), Polymer (MESH:D011108), LFP (MESH:C473349), metal (MESH:D008670), PTSA (MESH:C029501), NMP (MESH:C038678), LiAlO2 (MESH:C405267), carbonate (MESH:D002254), Polysiloxane (MESH:D012833), TEOS (MESH:C040733), acrylic acid (MESH:C036658), Li2CO3 (MESH:D016651), PSS (MESH:C003321), sulfone (MESH:D013450), phosphate (MESH:D010710), PI (MESH:D010716), sulfide (MESH:D013440), O (MESH:D010100), PVP (MESH:D011205), potassium dichromate (MESH:D011192), HCl (MESH:D006851), PE (MESH:D020959), Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (MESH:C121383), aniline (MESH:C023650), diethyl carbonate (MESH:C017858), H2O (MESH:D014867), PANI (MESH:C416807), V (MESH:D014639), Li (MESH:D008094), Fe (MESH:D007501), poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrene sulfonate) (MESH:C533756), PAN (MESH:C010504), Al2O3 (MESH:D000537), Spinel (MESH:C111130), Ni3+ (MESH:C043282), NCM (MESH:C121033), -NH2 (MESH:D000588), Vinylene carbonate (MESH:C031134), Epoxy (MESH:D004853), PAc (MESH:D000078789), Si (MESH:D012825), LCO (-), H2O2 (MESH:D006861), S (MESH:D013455), DDB (MESH:C010098), PVDF (MESH:C024865), quinone (MESH:C004532), H (MESH:D006859), 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (MESH:C000601652)
- **Species:** Nannochloropsis sp. CM (species) [taxon 1406433], Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606]
- **Cell lines:** NCM 811 — Homo sapiens (Human), Bloom syndrome, Finite cell line (CVCL_U702), NCM622 — Homo sapiens (Human), Neurofibromatosis type 1, Finite cell line (CVCL_5M64), LMO — Homo sapiens (Human), Chronic myelogenous leukemia, BCR-ABL1 positive, Cancer cell line (CVCL_SV70), PANI@NCM — Homo sapiens (Human), Spontaneously immortalized cell line (CVCL_0460)

## Figures

19 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12943853/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12943853