A review on the use of carbon nanostructures as anodes of Na-ion batteries

Abstract

Nowadays, the use of rechargeable secondary batteries is increasing with the increasing widespread use of mobile devices and electric vehicles. Concerns about the sustainability of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, which are the most widely used of secondary batteries, and the limited lithium reserves around the world have accelerated scientific studies on next-generation energy storage systems. At this point, sodium-ion (Na-ion) batteries, which can be used as an alternative to Li-ion batteries, stand out as highly promising electrochemical energy storage devices. However, many characteristics such as energy density, power density and cyclic stability have to be improved for commercialization of such batteries. The production process and electrochemical performance of each Na-ion battery component are highly dependent on the structure-property relationship and production conditions of these materials. Therefore, determining the relationship between the structural properties of each component such as the anode and their electrochemical performance together with designing the best performing structures are critical for the development of Na-ion batteries. Although intensive and promising studies have been conducted on the use of low-cost and sustainable materials in the anodes of Na-ion batteries, carbon-based materials, which can have different graphitization degree and morphological charecteristics, and their composites often stand out among different material groups. The aim of this study is to create a theoretical basis for the usability of different carbon materials in the anodes of Na-ion batteries with the current literature findings.