Recent Advances of Carbon Materials in Anodes for Aqueous Zinc Ion Batteries

Carbon-based materials have been successfully applied in the zinc ion batteries to improve the energy storage capability and durability of zinc anodes. In this review, four types of carbon materials (conventional carbons, fiber-like carbons, carbon nanotubes, graphene and other 2D carbon materials) are introduced based on the electrode preparation, physicochemical property and battery performance. Several modification strategies are also illustrated, such as heteroatom doping, hierarchical design and metal/carbon composites. Besides the discussion of existing issues of zinc anodes, the structure-performance relationships are analyzed in depth. Finally, conclusive remarks of this review are summarized and prospects of the future improvement are proposed.