Polymerizing monomers on an atomically flat solid surface and air/water, solid/liquid, or liquid/liquid interface is now a rapidly emerging frontier. Dimension-controlled synthesis of π-conjugated polymers is of particular interest, which can be achieved by precise control of monomer distribution during the polymerization. The surface of ice allows rapid polymerization of monomers in the plane direction along the air–water interface to yield large-area two-dimensional sheet-like poly­(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly­(styrenesulfonate) (2D sheet-like PEDOT:PSS) films with a thickness of ca. 30 nm. The persuasive role of ice chemistry is reflected in the high degree of crystallinity and superior conductivity of resultant PEDOT:PSS films. Excellent photoelectrochemical features were further disclosed when the ice-templated PEDOT:PSS films were coupled to quantum dots. Utilization of these polymer films in photovoltaic devices also resulted in excellent current density and power conversion efficiency. This work presents an innovative material technology that goes beyond traditional and ubiquitous inorganic 2D materials such as graphene and MoS2 for integrated electronic applications.

The synthesis of high-conductivity solid-state electrolyte materials with eliminated polarization loss is a great challenge. Here we show a promising potential of single-ion block copolymers with crystalline protogenic channels as efficient proton conductors. Through the self-organization of zwitterion, imidazole, and polystyrene sulfonate with controlled dipolar interactions therein, the distance between neighboring proton donors and acceptors in ionic crystals, as well as the dipolar orientation in nanoscale ionic phases was precisely tuned. This allowed a markedly high static dielectric constant comparable to water and fast structural diffusion of protons with a low potential barrier for single-ion polymers. The optimized sample exhibited a high proton diffusion coefficient of 2.4 × 10–6 cm2 s–1 under anhydrous conditions at 90 °C.

We report a new approach to the synthesis of uniform, high areal density Pt nanocrystals supported by conducting polymers. The key strategy is the use of ice-templated, two-dimensional polyaniline nanosheets at the air-water interface as a platform for expediting Pt nucleation. Highly crystalline Pt nanoparticles with a narrow size distribution of 2.7 ± 0.3 nm and a high electrochemically active surface area of 94.57 m g were obtained. Pt NPs were strongly anchored to the polyaniline nanosheets, and demonstrated high current densities, good durability for the methanol oxidation reaction, and excellent carbon monoxide tolerance, all of which are unprecedented. The idea established in this study could be applied to the production of a wide range of other catalysts with enhanced activities.

Advances in lithium battery technologies necessitate improved energy densities, long cycle lives, fast charging, safe operation, and environmentally friendly components. This study concerns lithium–organic batteries comprising bioinspired poly(4‐vinyl catechol) (P4VC) cathode materials and single‐ion conducting polymer nanoparticle electrolytes. The controlled synthesis of P4VC results in a two‐step redox reaction with voltage plateaus at around 3.1 and 3.5 V, as well as a high initial specific capacity of 352 mAh g−1. The use of single‐ion nanoparticle electrolytes enables high electrochemical stabilities up to 5.5 V, a high lithium transference number of 0.99, high ionic conductivities, ranging from 0.2×10−3 to 10−3 S cm−1, and stable storage moduli of >10 MPa at 25–90 °C. Lithium cells can deliver 165 mAh g−1 at 39.7 mA g−1 for 100 cycles and stable specific capacities of >100 mAh g−1 at a high current density of 794 mA g−1 for 500 cycles. As the first successful demonstration of solid‐state single‐ion polymer electrolytes in environmentally benign and cost‐effective lithium–organic batteries, this work establishes a future research avenue for advancing lithium battery technologies.

Ice-assisted synthesis for the development of tailor-made materials with desired morphology and properties.