Review Article: Layer-structured carbonaceous materials for advanced Li-ion and Na-ion batteries: Beyond graphene

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) materials, including transition-metal chalcogenides, MXenes, and carbonaceous materials, have been regarded as promising alternatives to commercial graphite for use as advanced lithium/sodium-ion battery (LIB/SIB) anodes owing to the enriched active sites and expanded interlayer spacing for higher energy/power densities. The carbonaceous 2D materials, either graphitic or nongraphitic structures, arise from varieties of natural or artificial sources with potential scalable synthesis, high conductivity, and low cost and have shown great advantages for sustainable energy conversion and storage applications. Considering the importance of 2D carbonaceous materials beyond graphene, a timely and systematic overview of the very recent progress of layer-structured carbonaceous materials is vital for exploring high-performance anode materials for advanced LIB/SIBs. The recent advances in Li+/Na+ ion storage in various novel morphological variants of 2D carbonaceous materials prepared by a variety of techniques are discussed along with important models presented in the literature to explain the excess lithium/sodium storage. This review will also discuss the opportunities, challenges, and perspectives of the 2D carbonaceous nanomaterials beyond graphene in the field of energy storage.