Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
Electrolyte is a crucial component in electrochemical energy storage devices (EESDs) such as rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors (SCs). While a substantial effort has been directed to engineering the electrodes, fewer but effective and continuous efforts have been devoted to improve the devices' performance through the modification of their electrolytes. Among these approaches, the strategic integration of minor amounts of additives has led to the formation of appropriate solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) and cathode-electrolyte interphase (CEI), as well as modifying the ionic conductivity, preventing dendrite growth, and improving charge storage kinetics. Among various additives in the electrolytes, carbon quantum dots (CDs) and graphene quantum dots (GQDs) have emerged as favorable options due to their positive influence on the electrolytes for EESDs. These QDs are soluble in specific solvents and their numerous functional moieties allow them to act as electrolyte additives and polyanions. Furthermore, their excellent physiochemical properties make them excellent candidates as fillers in solid-state electrolytes. The excellence of these QDs is verified by numerous electrochemical and physiochemical characterization methods affirming their positive influence on various parameters such as ion-diffusion kinetics, capacity, and resistance. The application of CDs and GQDs in the electrolytes of EESDs is new and the ruling mechanisms are not well-known yet. This review article provides an overview of the application of CDs and GQDs in both liquid and solid electrolytes for lithium-, sodium-, potassium-, zinc-ion and lithium metal batteries besides SCs. Herein, we aim to offer valuable insights into designing and fabricating a new class of electrolyte additives based on CDs and GQDs for realizing novel electrolytes for EESDs.
Shaker et al. (Fri,) studied this question.