Carbon materials for metal-ion batteries

Metal-ion (Li-, Na-, Zn-, K-, Mg-, and Al-ion) batteries (MIBs) play an important role in realizing the goals of “emission peak and carbon neutralization” because of their green production techniques, lower pollution, high voltage, and large energy density. Carbon-based materials are indispensable for developing MIBs and are widely adopted as active or auxiliary materials in the anodes and cathodes. For example, carbon-based materials, including graphite, Si/C and hard carbon, have been used as anode materials for Li- and Na-ion batteries. Carbon can also be used as a conductive coating for cathodes, such as in LiFePO₄/C, to achieve better performance. In addition, as new high-valence MIBs (Zn-, Al-, and Mg-ion) have emerged, a growing number of novel carbon-based materials have been utilized to construct high-performance MIBs. Herein, we discuss the recent development trends in advanced carbon-based materials for MIBs. The impact of the structure properties of advanced carbon-based materials on energy storage is addressed, and a perspective on their development is also proposed.