Research Progress and Prospects of Hard Carbon Anode Materials for Sodium-Ion Batteries

Chang Ma

doi:10.63313/AERpc.2018

Authors

Chang Ma School of Materials and Chemistry, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63313/AERpc.2018

Keywords:

Hard carbon, Sodium-ion batteries, Anode materials, Sodium storage mecha-nism, Precursor optimization

Abstract

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have emerged as a promising large-scale energy storage technology due to the abundant reserves and low cost of sodium resources, and hard carbon (HC) has become the most competitive anode material for SIBs owing to its unique "house-of-cards" microstructure, large interlayer spacing, and excellent electrochemical performance. This review systematically summarizes the latest research progress of hard carbon anode materials for SIBs. First, the microstructure characteristics of hard carbon (graphite-like crystallites, defects, and pore structure) and the mainstream sodium storage mechanisms (adsorption-intercalation, intercalation-pore filling, and adsorption-pore filling) are clarified. Then, the classification, characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages of hard carbon precursors (biomass-derived, synthetic polymer-derived, and fossil fuel-derived) are analyzed, and the core selection principles are summarized. Subsequently, the key optimization strategies for hard carbon performance (structure regulation, heteroatom doping, morphology design, surface modification, electrolyte matching, and pre-sodiation) are elaborated, focusing on their action mechanisms and application effects. In addition, the application of advanced characterization techniques in revealing the sodium storage mechanism of hard carbon is briefly introduced. Finally, the challenges faced by hard carbon in industrialization are discussed, and the future research directions are prospected. This review provides a concise and comprehensive reference for the design, preparation, and industrial application of high-performance hard carbon anodes for SIBs.

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