Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers for energy storage applications

Advanced electrochemical energy storage devices (EESDs) are essential for the seamless integration of renewable energy sources, ensuring energy security, driving the electrification of transportation, enhancing energy efficiency, promoting sustainability through longer lifespans and recycling efforts, facilitating rural electrification, and enabling the resilience of microgrid systems. Their versatile role is pivotal in advancing the transition to a more sustainable, reliable, and efficient energy landscape. Carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) offers a promising avenue for the development of advanced EESDs, such as supercapacitors, batteries and fuel cells. Their lightweight properties, excellent electrical conductivity, robust mechanical strength, flexibility, and adjustable electrochemical performance make them a compelling choice. These carbon based fibers have the potential to significantly improve the efficiency and versatility of EESDs, paving the way for more sustainable and high-performance energy storage solutions. This comprehensive review places a distinct emphasis on elucidating the properties of carbon fiber reinforced polymer electrode materials and delves into recent advancements in their fabrication methods. Furthermore, the paper explores their evolving role in various energy storage applications. Additionally, this review provides a succinct overview of the existing challenges and offers insights into the potential future directions in the advancement carbon fiber-based composite electrode materials. [Display omitted] •Carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) offers a promising avenue for the development of advanced EESDs.•Carbon based fibers have the potential to significantly improve the efficiency and versatility of EESDs for better energy storage solutions.•This comprehensive review places a distinct emphasis on elucidating the properties of carbon fiber reinforced polymer electrode materials.•This review summarizes current challenges and suggests future directions for advancing carbon fiber-based composite electrode materials.