Amorphous carbon-based materials as platform for advanced high-performance anodes in lithium secondary batteries

The growing concern for the exhaustion of fossil energy and the rapid revolution of electronics have created a rising demand for electrical energy storage devices with high energy density, for example, lithium secondary batteries (LSBs). With high surface area, low cost, excellent mechanical strength, and electrochemical stability, amorphous carbon-based materials (ACMs) have been widely investigated as promising platform for anode materials in the LSBs. In this review, we firstly summarize recent advances in the synthesis of the ACMs with various morphologies, ranging from zero- to three-dimensional structures. Then, the use of ACMs in Li-ion batteries and Li metal batteries is discussed respectively with the focus on the relationship between the structural features of the as-prepared ACMs and their roles in promoting electrochemical performances. Finally, the remaining challenges and the possible prospects for the use of ACMs in the LSBs are proposed to provide some useful clews for the future developments of this attractive area. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]