Macrostructures of carbon nanotubes for advanced battery application: A comprehensive review

Carbon nanotube films/fibres are widely valued for their remarkable tensile strength, flexibility, lightweight nature, high specific surface areas, outstanding electrical conductivity, and excellent thermal conductivity. To satisfy a range of application requirements, raw CNTs are frequently pre-treated utilizing different functionalization techniques. Many techniques have been developed in the last few decades to functionalize CNTs and produce a variety of functional materials. Due to their exceptional mechanical and electrical properties, CNTs can be shaped into fibers, films, sponges, and aerogels. This becomes possible due to its unique one-dimensional nanostructure. Due to their unique structural and electrical properties, they serve as excellent building blocks for flexible battery components and offer attractive opportunities as anode materials for LIBs. In contrast to typical graphite-based anodes, this CNT-based anode significantly enhances the reversible lithium-ion capacity. Structural design and strategies for modifying CNTs are highly necessary for optimizing CNT-based LIB anodes. This paper reviews the recent progress on the preparation and properties of CNTs, emphasizing their applications in state-of-the-art energy storage devices and beyond. It further discusses critical issues and future applications of CNT-based devices.