Precisely Tailored Short-Range Ordered Interlayers Unlock Extremely Fast-Charging Hard Carbon Anodes for Sodium-Ion Batteries

Fast-charging capability is a key criterion determining the practical prospects of sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), yet the mismatched sodium storage kinetics and plateau capacity in hard carbon anodes are bottlenecks to their implementation. Herein, a carbon interlayer modulation strategy is proposed to synergistically balance the closed pore volume and intrinsic defects, enabling the integration of enhanced sodium storage kinetics and high plateau capacity in hard carbon anodes. As expected, the as-prepared hard carbon anode with short-range ordered carbon interlayers and the highest closed pore volume exhibits exceptional fast-charging sodium storage capability, accompanied by a moderate plateau/slope capacity ratio. Kinetics analysis and theoretical calculations reveal the significant implications of short-range disordered carbon interlayers and optimized closed pore diameters in hard carbon anodes for enhancing their sodium storage kinetics. Furthermore, in-situ/ex-situ characterizations elucidate the “adsorption-pore filling-pore filling/intercalation” Na + storage pathway in the hard carbon anodes. Additionally, paired with the Na 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 cathode, the full cell achieves a recharging time of ∼5.2 min at 1 A g −1 and a capacity retention of ∼98.5% after 350 cycles at 0.5 A g −1 . This work provides theoretical guidance for the construction of extremely fast-charging hard carbon anodes.