Advancing lithium-ion battery performance with heteroatom-based anode architectures for fast charging and high capacity

Electric vehicles (EVs) are on the brink of revolutionizing transportation, but the current lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) used in them have significant limitations in terms of fast-charging capabilities and energy density. This feature article begins by examining the key challenges of using graphite for fast charging and silicon for achieving high energy density in LIBs. Firstly, it explores various design strategies employed by researchers worldwide to improve the fast-charging performance of graphite, such as surface coatings, morphological modifications, and binder design. However, instead of modifying graphite, a more effective approach is to use materials with inherently beneficial properties-specifically, hard carbons. The article then reviews the design strategies for increasing capacity while maintaining structural stability in silicon-based anodes, including encapsulated structures and embedded matrices. Overall, this article provides a comprehensive overview of diverse approaches aimed at advancing both fast-charging capability and energy density in LIBs.