Catalytic effect of carbon-based electrode materials in energy storage devices

The catalytic effect of electrode materials is one of the most crucial factors for achieving efficient electrochemical energy conversion and storage. Carbon-based metal composites were widely synthesized and employed as electrode materials because of their inherited outstanding properties. Usually, electrode materials can provide a higher capacity than the anticipated values, even beyond the theoretical limit. The origin of the extra capacity has not yet been explained accurately, and its formation mechanism is still ambiguous. Herein, we first summarized the current research progress and drawbacks in energy storage devices (ESDs), and elaborated the role of catalytic effect in enhancing the performance of ESDs as follows: promoting the evolution of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), accelerating the reversible conversion of discharge/charge products, and improving the conversion speed of the intermediate and the utilization rate of the active materials, thereby avoiding the shuttling effect. Additionally, a particular focus was placed on the interaction between the catalytic effect and energy storage performance in order to highlight the efficacy and role of the catalytic effect. We hope that this review could provide innovative ideas for designing the electrode materials with an efficient catalytic effect for ESDs to promote the development of this research field.