Heteroatom-Doped Carbon Anodes for Sodium-Ion Batteries
Summary
Sodium-ion batteries are emerging as a cost-effective and resource-abundant alternative to lithium-ion systems for large-scale energy storage. Central to their performance is the anode material, where carbonaceous hosts dominate owing to their tunable structure, conductivity and natural abundance. Heteroatom doping—incorporation of elements such as nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus or boron into the carbon matrix—serves to introduce defects, modulate electronic structure and enlarge interlayer spacing, thereby enhancing sodium adsorption, diffusion kinetics and cycling stability. Recent advances focus on facile, scalable preparation routes including biomass pyrolysis, metal–organic framework templating and combustion-assisted synthesis, all seeking to balance high reversible capacity, rate capability and initial Coulombic efficiency. The interplay between microstructure (pore architecture, graphitic domains), dopant type and distribution, and electrolyte compatibility underpins ongoing efforts to optimise sodiation mechanisms, mitigate capacity fade and progress towards practical full-cell devices.
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Heteroatom-Doped Carbon Anodes for Sodium-Ion Batteries publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in heteroatom-doped carbon anodes for sodium-ion batteries across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Heteroatom doping: Introduction of non-carbon atoms (e.g. N, S, P, B) into a carbon lattice to alter electronic and structural properties.
Hard carbon: Amorphous or low-crystallinity carbon with disordered graphitic domains and micro-/mesoporosity, favourable for Na storage.
Reversible capacity: The charge per unit mass that can be repeatedly stored and released without structural degradation.
Coulombic efficiency: Ratio of charge extracted to charge inserted in a cycle, indicating reversibility and side-reaction losses.
Interlayer spacing: Distance between graphitic planes in carbon; enlargement aids insertion of larger Na⁺ ions.
Microporosity: Presence of pores smaller than 2 nm, contributing to high surface area and fast ion accessibility.
References
- Flame‐assisted ultrafast synthesis of functionalized carbon nanosheets for high‐performance sodium storage. Carbon Energy (2024).
- N/S-Co-Doped Porous Carbon Sheets Derived from Bagasse as High-Performance Anode Materials for Sodium-Ion Batteries. Nanomaterials (2019).
- In Situ Construction of Nitrogen-Doped and Zinc-Confined Microporous Carbon Enabling Efficient Na+-Storage Abilities. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2023).
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