Carbon-Based Nanocages: A New Platform for Advanced Energy Storage and Conversion

Energy storage and conversion play a crucial role in modern energy systems, and the exploration of advanced electrode materials is vital but challenging. Carbon-based nanocages consisting of sp(2)carbon shells feature a hollow interior cavity with sub-nanometer microchannels across the shells, high specific surface area with a defective outer surface, and tunable electronic structure, much different from the intensively studied nanocarbons such as carbon nanotubes and graphene. These structural and morphological characteristics make carbon-based nanocages a new platform for advanced energy storage and conversion. Up-to-date synthetic strategies of carbon-based nanocages, the utilization of their unique porous structure and morphology for the construction of composites with foreign active species, and their significant applications to the advanced energy storage and conversion are reviewed. Structure-performance correlations are discussed in depth to highlight the contribution of carbon-based nanocages. The research challenges and trends are also envisaged for deepening and extending the study and application of this multifunctional material.