Advanced hard carbon materials for practical applications of sodium-ion batteries developed by combined experimental, computational, and data analysis approaches

Hard carbon materials are considered one of the ideal anode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). However, the practical application of hard carbon materials is limited by complex microstructures and imprecise preparation techniques. On the one hand, advanced hard carbon materials are widely developed through computational simulations and experimental research. On the other hand, the emerging database of precursors − preparation parameters − microstructures − and electrochemical performance has grown fast as more and more research has been reported. The database is greatly beneficial to reducing the trial-and-error nature of the experiments and verifying the reliability of the computational results. In this review, we summarize the rapid development of high-performance hard carbon materials by combining experimental, computational, and data analysis approaches. Focusing on: 1) summarizing the types of precursors and preparation methods to search the development of highly promising precursors and efficient preparation methods, 2) discussing the evolution rule of microstructure parameters and elucidating the correspondence between microstructures and sodium storage mechanisms, 3) revealing the relationship between microstructure characteristics and electrochemical performance of hard carbon, and 4) summarizing the utility potential of various modification strategies on hard carbon. Finally, we outline the main advances and future perspectives of hard carbon in SIBs.