Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Non-graphitising carbons are an important class of solid carbon materials which cannot be transformed into graphite by heat treatment, even at 3000 °C. Also known as hard carbons, they are of growing importance as anode materials for lithium-ion or sodium-ion batteries. When activated they are widely used in the purification of air and water supplies. However, despite decades of research, the detailed atomic structures of these materials has still not been fully established. Many structural models have been put forward, beginning with the classic work of Rosalind Franklin, but none have gained universal acceptance. This review gives a historical survey of models for the structure of non-graphitising carbons and summarizes the latest thinking on the subject, which is based on the idea that the structure contains non-hexagonal rings, as in the fullerenes and fullerene-related structures. Studies using aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy have provided important support for this idea.
Source: C – Journal of Carbon Research
DOI: 10.3390/c11040078
Author: Peter J. F. Harris
Institution: University of Bristol
Language: English
Subfield: Materials Chemistry
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,930
OpenAlex ID: W4415207309