Graphene and carbon nanotubes for advanced energy storage and powering next-generation supercapacitors and batteries

The growing demand for energy and the depletion of fossil fuels have intensified the urgent need for cost-effective and environmentally friendly energy storage remedies to ensure an adequate energy supply and mitigate environmental pollution. This has sparked significant interest in carbon-based nanomaterials (CBNs), particularly graphene and carbon nanotubes (CNTs), for enhancing the performance of batteries and supercapacitors (SCs) due to their remarkable properties, including a high surface area, rapid ion diffusion, exceptional electronic conductivity, tunable surface chemistry, and notable conversion ability. Therefore, this review presents a comprehensive analysis of recent advances in the application of graphene and CNTs in energy storage systems (ESS), specifically batteries and SCs, as published in 2025. Out of the 21 electrode material systems reviewed, 17 exhibited superior specific capacitance values, ranging from 652 F/g to 7613 F/g, which are superior to those of conventional materials, such as SrTiO₃ (378 F/g). Equally high energy density and power density of 380 Wh/kg and 5000 W/kg were reported in these systems, with cycling stability ranging from 78.5 % to 99.5 %. In batteries, an impressive specific capacity of 1974 mAh/g was reported. These excellent properties underscore the importance of these CBNs in ESS; hence, leveraging their unique intrinsic properties and tunable structural designs offers significant potential to meet the growing global energy demands and develop next-generation ESS that are both high-performing and eco-friendly. • There is a growing demand for energy due to the depletion of fossil fuels. • Carbon-based nanomaterials have the potential to enhance the performance of ESS. • There is a need to develop next-generation ESS due to growing global energy demands.