The growing demand for portable electronic devices, electric vehicles, and large-scale advanced energy storage has aroused increasing interest in the development of high energy density lithium batteries. The electrolyte is an important component of lithium batteries and is an essential part of performance and safety improvements. Commercially available electrolytes mainly consist of lithium salts and organic carbonate solvents that are prone to decomposition due to their narrow electrochemical windows and tend to react with lithium metal anodes forming an unstable solid electrode/electrolyte interface (SEI). In particular, the flammability of organic solvents raises concerns about battery safety. Ionic liquid/poly(ionic liquid) (IL/PIL)-based electrolytes enable batteries with good safety, high energy/power density and long-term stability. This review focuses on the applications of IL/PIL-based liquid, quasi-solid, and solid electrolytes and electrolyte additives in lithium batteries. The perspectives and challenges of IL/PIL electrolytes in the field of lithium batteries are also proposed.

Copper nanowires (CuNWs) are becoming an indispensable item for next-generation transparent optical devices due to their excellent conductivity and transparency. In this work, ultrathin semicircle-shaped copper nanowires(SCuNWs) with a diameter of ~ 15 nm and a length of ~ 30 μm (aspect ratio of ~2, 000) were synthesized in ethanol solution. The mechanism and factors that affect the morphology and dispersity of the SCuNWs were investigated. The prepared SCuNWs were coated on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate to fabricate flexible transparent conductors (FTCs). The fabricated FTCs exhibited excellent optoelectrical performance and low haze. In addition, the fabricated FTCs showed high mechanical stability during stretching and bending, indicating their great potential in flexible optical devices.