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In this perspective, we present an overview of the research and advancement of lignocellulose-derived hard carbon anodes and their pivotal role in the commercialization of sodium-ion batteries. Hard carbon anodes, sourced from lignocellulosic biomasses, exhibit considerable promise due to their widespread availability, economical viability, and environmentally friendly attributes with zero carbon-dioxide emissions. Given the intricate compositions and composite nature of lignocellulosic materials, it becomes imperative to prioritize factors crucial for the fabrication of hard carbon anodes that exhibit enhanced sodium-ion storage capabilities. Thus, our study offers an extensive overview of the structure and performance nuances of hard carbon anodes derived from cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Furthermore, it delves into the fundamental principles governing synthesis methodologies and confronts the challenges inherent in producing lignocellulose-derived hard carbon anodes tailored specifically for sodium-ion batteries. Highlights: • Lignocellulose is a promising low-cost precursor for the hard carbon anodes in sodium-ion batteries. • Chemical, crystalline, components, and multi-dimensional structures of lignocellulose influence the structure and performance of hard carbon anodes. • Engineering methodologies tuning the microstructures of lignocellulose could change the intrinsic structure and performances of hard carbon anodes. • New methods also need to consider the principles of green chemistry and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sodium ion batteries (SIBs) are considered the most promising battery technology in the post‐lithium era due to the abundant sodium reserves. In the past two decades, exploring new electrolytes for SIBs has generally relied on the "solid electrolyte interphase (SEI)" theory to optimize the electrolyte components. However, many observed phenomena cannot be fully explained by the SEI theory. Therefore, electrolyte solvation structure and electrode–electrolyte interface behavior have recently received tremendous research interest to explain the improved performance. Considering there is currently no review paper focusing on the solvation structure of electrolytes in SIBs, a systematic survey on SIBs is provided, in which the specific solvation structure design guidelines and their consequent impact on the electrochemical performance are elucidated. The key driving force of solvation structure formation, and the recent advances in adjusting SIB solvation structures are discussed in detail. It is believed that this review can provide new insights into the electrolyte optimization strategies of high‐performance SIBs and even other emerging battery systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rechargeable aqueous manganese‐based batteries have been attracting significant attention owing to their advantages of low cost, high safety, and ease of manufacturing, which are promising attributes for grid‐scale energy storage applications. However, most traditional manganese‐based batteries with solid‐state conversion and intercalation reactions suffer from low capacity and poor long‐term cycling stability. The recent novel storage mechanism based on cathode Mn2+/MnO2 deposition/stripping chemistry has fundamentally tackled these issues, enabling a new generation of manganese‐based batteries with superior electrochemical performance. Here, the recent advances in aqueous manganese‐based batteries with the Mn2+/MnO2 deposition/stripping chemistry are reviewed. A summary of the development of manganese‐based batteries with different storage mechanisms is provided and new opportunities for the emerging Mn2+/MnO2 chemistry in the latest generation are highlighted. Then, the current understanding of the Mn2+/MnO2 charge storage mechanism and its potential in manganese‐based batteries for large‐scale energy storage applications is presented. Moreover, insights into opportunities and future directions for manganese‐based batteries with the Mn2+/MnO2 chemistry are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic anodes have attracted increasing attention for alkali metal ion batteries. In this work, we discovered that cyclized polyacrylonitrile (cPAN) can serve as an excellent anode for alkali metal ion batteries. Upon activation cycling, as an anode of lithium‐ion battery, cPAN exhibits a reversible capacity as high as 1238 mAh g−1 under a current density of 50 mA g−1. Based on electrochemical experiments and first‐principles calculations, it is demonstrated that the hexagonal carbon ring, piperidine ring, and pyridine nitrogen in ladder cPAN are the main active sites for lithium‐ion storage. cPAN displays a unique potential‐dependent solid electrolyte interphase formation from 0.1 to 0.01 V vs. Li/Li+. It also displays decent performance as an anode in SIBs and PIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional transition metal carbides and/or nitrides (MXenes) have shown promise in developing electrochemical storage of metal ions within conductive galleries due to redox reactions with transition metal atoms. Here, effect of surface chemistry on electrochemical storage of sodium ions within MXene interlayers is investigated by etching Ti3AlC2 MAX using different etchants – HF, HF/HCl, and HF/H2SO4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Conventional graphite anodes can hardly intercalate sodium (Na) ions, which poses a serious challenge for developing Na‐ion batteries. This study details a novel method that involves single‐step laser‐based transformation of urea‐containing polyimide into an expanded 3D graphene anode, with simultaneous doping of high concentrations of nitrogen (≈13 at%). The versatile nature of this laser‐scribing approach enables direct bonding of the 3D graphene anode to the current collectors without the need for binders or conductive additives, which presents a clear advantage over chemical or hydrothermal methods. It is shown that these conductive and expanded 3D graphene structures perform exceptionally well as anodes for Na‐ion batteries. Specifically, an initial coulombic efficiency (CE) up to 74% is achieved, which exceeds that of most reported carbonaceous anodes, such as hard carbon and soft carbon. In addition, Na‐ion capacity up to 425 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 has been achieved with excellent rate capabilities. Further, a capacity of 148 mAh g−1 at a current density of 10 A g−1 is obtained with excellent cycling stability, opening a new direction for the fabrication of 3D graphene anodes directly on current collectors for metal ion battery anodes as well as other potential applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cathodes of Li- and Na-ion batteries usually have capacities<200 mAh/g, significantly less than the anodes. Two-dimensional materials can overcome this limitation but suffer from low voltages. In this context, we investigate NbS2 functionalized by O, F, and Cl as a cathode material by first-principles calculations, considering both the conversion and intercalation mechanisms. NbS2O2 shows a higher voltage than NbS2 for both Li and Na, but the voltage decreases drastically for increasing ion coverage. Even higher voltages and favorable dependences on the ion coverage are achieved by F and Cl functionalization. We obtain NbS2F2 and NbS2Cl2 energy densities of 1223mWh/g and 823 mWh/g for lithiation and 1086 mWh/g and 835 mWh/g for sodiation, respectively. These values are higher than those for most state-of-the-art cathode materials (~600 mWh/g). In addition, low diffusion barriers enable high cycling rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current Na+ storage performance of carbon‐based materials is still hindered by the sluggish Na+ ion transfer kinetics and low capacity. Graphene and its derivatives have been widely investigated as electrode materials in energy storage and conversion systems. However, as anode materials for sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs), the severe π–π restacking of graphene sheets usually results in compact structure with a small interlayer distance and a long ion transfer distance, thus leading to low capacity and poor rate capability. Herein, partially reduced holey graphene oxide is prepared by simple H2O2 treatment and subsequent low temperature reduction of graphene oxide, leading to large interlayer distance (0.434 nm), fast ion transport, and larger Na+ storage space. The partially remaining oxygenous groups can also contribute to the capacity by redox reaction. As anode material for SIBs, the optimized electrode delivers high reversible capacity, high rate capability (365 and 131 mAh g−1 at 0.1 and 10 A g−1, respectively), and good cycling performance (163 mAh g−1 after 3000 cycles at a current density of 2 A g−1), which is among the best reported performances for carbon‐based SIB anodes. Partially reduced holey graphene oxide is prepared by low temperature reduction of holey graphene oxide. The large interlayer distance, short ion transfer distance, increased ion insertion/extraction sites, and residual oxygenous groups endow partially reduced holey graphene oxide with high sodium ion storage capability. This approach provides a facile and scalable strategy to produce high‐performance anode materials for sodium ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have systematically changed the number of atomic layers stacked in 2D SnO nanosheet anodes and studied their sodium ion battery (SIB) performance. The results indicate that as the number of atomic SnO layers in a sheet decreases, both the capacity and cycling stability of the Na ion battery improve. The thinnest SnO nanosheet anodes (two to six SnO monolayers) exhibited the best performance. Specifically, an initial discharge and charge capacity of 1072 and 848 mAh g-1 were observed, respectively, at 0.1 A g-1. In addition, an impressive reversible capacity of 665 mAh g-1 after 100 cycles at 0.1 A g-1 and 452 mAh g-1 after 1000 cycles at a high current density of 1.0 A g-1 was observed, with excellent rate performance. As the average number of atomic layers in the anode sheets increased, the battery performance degraded significantly. For example, for the anode sheets with 10-20 atomic layers, only a reversible capacity of 389 mAh g-1 could be obtained after 100 cycles at 0.1 A g-1. Density functional theory calculations coupled with experimental results were used to elucidate the sodiation mechanism of the SnO nanosheets. This systematic study of monolayer-dependent physical and electrochemical properties of 2D anodes shows a promising pathway to engineering and mitigating volume changes in 2D anode materials for sodium ion batteries. It also demonstrates that ultrathin SnO nanosheets are promising SIB anode materials with high specific capacity, stable cyclability, and excellent rate performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]