Progress and Prospects of Silk Fibroin as an Energy Storage Material

Abstract

AbstractDemand for energy storage devices has increased the need for eco‐friendly options like silk, a common textile material which under various conditions can possess fair electrical and piezoelectric activity. Silk Fibroin (SF) shows extreme reliability as future energy storage material when employed as essential battery components by forming an enhanced solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layer and avoiding dendrite growth on electrode while retaining >99.9 % of its capacity for roughly 200 battery cycles along with conserving the electrical behavior. SF has the potential to replace quartz exhibiting a comparable piezoelectric response due to its β‐sheet composition and absence of center of symmetry in its crystalline units. This article focuses on the applications of SF and its derived engineered materials in different domains, including electric, piezoelectric, photovoltaic, and sensing. The ability of SF to be tailored into providing required functionalities expands its possibilities as green substitute for batteries, supercapacitors, solar cells, optoelectronics, and sensors.