High-performance Vanillin-derived Dielectric Polymer Films for Sustainable Energy Storage

Lei-Peng Liu; Bo-Yi Tian; Rui-Ying Xie; Shu-Ping Wei; Peng-Fei Yuan; Yuan-Duo Duan; Xiao-Fei Chen; Yu-Xuan Wang; Sheng-Hua Lv; Yue-Hong Zhang

doi:10.1007/s10118-025-3415-6

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High-performance Vanillin-derived Dielectric Polymer Films for Sustainable Energy Storage

RESEARCH ARTICLE | Updated：2025-09-26

- High-performance Vanillin-derived Dielectric Polymer Films for Sustainable Energy Storage
- Chinese Journal of Polymer Science Vol. 43, Issue 10, Pages: 1804-1813(2025)
- Affiliations：
  
  College of Bioresources Chemical and Materials Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Xi'an 710021, China
- Author bio：
  
  liuleipeng@sust.edu.cn (L.P.L.)
  yuehong.zhang@sust.edu.cn (Y.H.Z.)
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s10118-025-3415-6
  CLC：
- Received：17 May 2025，
  
  Revised：2025-07-06，
  
  Accepted：14 July 2025，
  
  Published Online：10 September 2025，
  
  Published：05 October 2025
- Accepted：
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Liu, L. P.; Tian, B. Y.; Xie, R. Y.; Wei, S. P.; Yuan, P. F.; Duan, Y. D.; Chen, X. F.; Wang, Y. X.; Lv, S. H.; Zhang, Y. H. High-performance vanillin-derived dielectric polymer films for sustainable energy storage. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2025, 43, 1804–1813

Lei-Peng Liu, Bo-Yi Tian, Rui-Ying Xie, et al. High-performance Vanillin-derived Dielectric Polymer Films for Sustainable Energy Storage[J]. Chinese journal of polymer science, 2025, 43(10): 1804-1813.
Liu, L. P.; Tian, B. Y.; Xie, R. Y.; Wei, S. P.; Yuan, P. F.; Duan, Y. D.; Chen, X. F.; Wang, Y. X.; Lv, S. H.; Zhang, Y. H. High-performance vanillin-derived dielectric polymer films for sustainable energy storage. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2025, 43, 1804–1813 DOI： 10.1007/s10118-025-3415-6.

Lei-Peng Liu, Bo-Yi Tian, Rui-Ying Xie, et al. High-performance Vanillin-derived Dielectric Polymer Films for Sustainable Energy Storage[J]. Chinese journal of polymer science, 2025, 43(10): 1804-1813. DOI： 10.1007/s10118-025-3415-6.

摘要

Developing high-performance polymer dielectric films from biomass vanillin to advance sustainable green energy storage materials. Under optimal conditions

the dielectric constant is 3.4

the breakdown strength is 670.2 MV/m

the energy storage density is 7.1 J/cm

and the efficiency is over 90%.

Abstract

Dielectric films are critical components in the fabrication of capacitors. However

their reliance on petroleum-derived polymers presents significant environmental challenges. To address this issue

we report on a high-performance biomass-based dielectric material derived from vanillin (VA)

a renewable aromatic aldehyde. Vanillin was first esterified to synthesize vanillin methacrylate (VMA)

which was then copolymerized with methyl methacrylate (MMA)

via

free-radical polymerization to yield P(VMA-MMA). By crosslinking the aldehyde groups in VMA with the amine groups in the polyether amine D400 (PEA)

we fabricated a series of P(VMA-MMA)@PEA dielectric films with precisely tunable crosslinking densities. The unique molecular structure of vanillin

featuring both a benzene ring and an ester group

facilitates strong

δ-π

interactions and dipolar polarization

synergistically enhancing energy storage density while minimizing dielectric loss. At an optimal P(VMA-MMA) ratio of 1:10 and 80% theoretical crosslinking degree

the dielectric constant reaches 3.4 at 10³ Hz

while the breakdown strength reaches 670.2 MV/m. Furthermore

the film exhibits an energy storage density of 7.1 J/cm³ at 500 MV/m while maintaining a charge-discharge efficiency exceeding 90%. This study demonstrates a green and reliable strategy for designing biomass-based dielectric materials and opens new avenues for the development of eco-frien

dly energy-storage technologies.

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