Carbon nanofiber-based nanostructures for lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries

Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) belong to a class of one-dimensional (1D) carbonaceous materials with excellent electronic conductivity, leading to their use as conductive additives in electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and sodium-ion batteries (NIBs). Additionally, CNFs show excellent lithium- and sodium-storage performance when used directly as anode materials via template and activation strategies to produce numerous intercalation sites. In the case of the non-carbon electrodes for LIBs & NIBs, CNFs are capable of functioning as electron conducting and porous substrates to enhance the overall electronic & ionic conductivity and stabilizing the structures of electrodes during cycling, facilitating the improvement of the electrochemical performance of non-carbon anode and cathode materials. In this review, we present a comprehensive summary of the recent progress of CNF application in LIBs and NIBs, focusing on the structural evolution and the resulting improvements in electrochemical performance and demonstrating the importance of advancements in CNF-based electrode materials.