With the increasing demand for high-performance batteries, material optimization and innovation have become key factors in improving battery performance. This paper summarizes the latest research progress in structural optimization and electrochemical performance enhancement of current sodium-ion batteries, zinc-ion batteries, aqueous batteries, and organic flow batteries. It focuses on introducing the optimization of battery materials via methods such as structural regulation, defect engineering, coating technology, and 3D printing, thereby enabling higher energy density, better long-cycle stability, and faster charge-discharge rates. This paper also discusses the application prospects of novel materials (e.g., hard carbon, vanadium-doped materials, and covalent organic frameworks in batteries) and provides an outlook on future research directions. This study finds that multi-dimensional material optimization strategies (e.g., the synergy between defect engineering and interfacial coating, and 3D printing-based structural customization) can enable batteries to achieve long-cycle stability under high-rate conditions (e.g., vanadium-based cathodes maintain 99% of their initial capacity after 2300 cycles, and hard carbon anodes retain 87% of their capacity after 1000 cycles at 1000 mA g). Meanwhile, the application of novel systems such as biomass-derived hard carbon and modified vanadium-based materials can effectively balance the requirements of high energy density and low cost for batteries.
Zihao Jiang (Wed,) studied this question.