Exploring Polyampholyte Hydrogels in Energy Storage and Conversion: Supercapacitors, Batteries, Solar Cells, Fuel Cells, Sensors, and Photocatalytic Systems

Nurbatyr Mukhametgazy, Meruyert Suleimenova, Sarkyt E. Kudaibergenov, Nurxat Nuraje

Gels, 2026

Full text Open access: Gold Metadata (CSL-JSON)
DOI 10.3390/gels12110945
Data confidence 70 medium
How this score is calculated

It is built from checkable properties of the record itself: whether the article has a DOI, how many independent sources confirmed its data, whether the required fields are filled in, and how recent the latest confirmation is. Disagreement between sources and a missing identifier lower it. A value of 80 or above means the record was published without further checking; 60 to 79 means it is published at reduced confidence, with a manual check advisable. A record verified by an editor by hand is never pushed below 90 by a recalculation. This scores our data about the article, not the article itself.

Abstract

Polyampholyte hydrogels have been recognized as a universal class of multifunctional flexible polymer composites for advanced energy storage and conversion systems due to their unique combination of ionic conductivity, dynamic ionic interactions, mechanical strength, self-healing ability, antipolyelectrolyte behavior, salt tolerance, and resistance to low and high temperatures. These synergistic properties ensure efficient ion transport, high mechanical integrity, and excellent environmental adaptability, making polyampholyte hydrogels attractive candidates for flexible and stable electrochemical systems. This review provides a comprehensive overview of advancements in the synthesis strategies, electrochemical performances and functionalization of polyampholyte hydrogels intended for applications in the energy sector. In this context polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs), products of the interaction of polyelectrolytes with opposite charges, are also considered. This is because, despite structural differences, PECs exhibit behavioral similarities with polyampholytes. Expanding and combining the diverse behavioral properties of polyampholytes and PECs could provide a common strategy for developing new smart polymer materials, such as solid-state electrolytes, flexible supercapacitors, batteries, ion-conducting membranes, membranes for solar and fuel cells, porous materials, fibers, and adhesives. Special attention is given to promising applications of polyampholyte hydrogels as supercapacitors, rechargeable batteries, solar and fuel cells, sensors, and polycatalytic hydrogen production. Recent advances demonstrate that polyampholyte hydrogels siginificantly improve ion transport, electrode-electrolyte interface compability, electrochemical stability, and mechanical strength, therby enhancing the electrochemical performance of devices and extending their life time. Current challenges related to structure-property relationship, long-term stability, scalable manufacturing, and multifunctional integration are also critically discussed. Finally, future research directions are mentioned, including the development of hybrid nanocomposites and sustainable manufacturing strategies for the advancement of next-generation high-efficiency energy storage and conversion technologies.