The most crucial element that affects the low-temperature electrochemical performance of LIBs is the active material of the electrode. Lithium cobalt oxide, lithium nickel oxide, lithium manganese oxide, and other conventional cathode materials are available. By incorporating the Co element into the transition metal site, Luo et al. were able to control the relationship between the diffusion and temperature of the LiNi
0.5Mn
1.5O
4 cathode (the electrical conductivity falls in the range of 10
-5 to 10
-7 S cm
-1). They discovered that this improved the ability of the lithium ions to diffuse and increased the electronic conductivity of the materials [
53]. The findings not only make it possible to enhance the electrochemical performance of cathode materials based on 5 V, but also offer crucial direction for their practical use at low temperature. Ye et al. used amorphous Zr-3 (PO
4) surface engineering to achieve stable high pressure LiCoO
2 operation (4.6 V) at 25 °C [
54]. A high-quality cathode–electrolyte interface phase, which had excellent stability and low interface resistance at low temperatures, was obtained because of the high degree of amorphousness of the surface layer. The experiment proved that surface control engineering is a useful technique for enhancing the performance of LiCoO
2 at high pressure and low temperature.
3.1. Carbon-based electrodes for LIBs
Today, the mainstream anode materials are primarily carbon-based. Carbon-based materials have low resistivity, are low cost and abundant, and are widely used at room temperature as a power source for various electronic devices and as the main power source for electric vehicles [
58,
59,
60]. Carbon-based materials play an important role in the electrodes of LIBs. As shown in
Figure 3, carbon-based materials can be roughly divided into traditional industrial carbon, including activated carbon [
61], carbon black [
62]; new industrial carbon, including carbon fiber and graphite [
63,
64]; new carbon nanomaterials, including graphene [
65], carbon nanotubes (CNTs) [
66], carbon dots [
67], carbon nanocages [
68] and fullerenes [
69].
Activated carbon performs well and is cheap and environmentally friendly. Lithium ions may be readily absorbed by activated carbon when used as a LIB electrode, and the low- temperature treatment of activated carbon results in a material with a high specific surface area of 1728 m
2 g
-1 and outstanding specific capacity [
70]. This can increase the pore size of the material and enhance the low-temperature electrochemical performance of the LIBs.
The most popular conductive paste for LIBs today is carbon black. It is an amorphous carbon that has a large specific surface area, low density, and strong chemical inertia. Under the scanning electron microscope, it is chain- or grape-shaped, light and loose, with a small particle size, large specific surface area, poor dispersion and easy aggregation in slurry, and strong oil absorption. However, conductive carbon black cannot form a good conductive network and has relatively poor conductivity (The conductivity of conductive carbon black used in battery industry is 0.2-0.5 S cm
-1), high resistance, and easy polarization. Therefore, conductive carbon black is often used together with graphite, CNT, graphene, and other materials in the manufacture of electrode sheets [
71].
High axial strength and modulus, low density, resistance to extremely high temperatures in nonoxidizing environments, good fatigue resistance, specific heat and conductivity between nonmetals and metals, a low coefficient of thermal expansion and anisotropy, good corrosion resistance, good conductivity, electromagnetic shielding, are just a few of the many excellent qualities of carbon fiber. Xu et al. investigated the fiber–matrix adhesion between carbon fibers of different sizes and two different matrix systems using the microbonding test supported by transverse tensile testing and discovered that the mechanical adhesion of the fiber–matrix interface was lower than that of commercial nonionic conductive polymer matrix, which is sufficient for LIBs. The matrix in structural batteries must be capable of conducting ions and transferring loads between fibers [
72].
The most common anode material in industrial batteries is graphite. At low temperatures, it typically performs poorly in terms of rate. High current rates can also cause lithium plating and dendrite growth on the surface of the graphite, which reduces low-temperature performance and creates safety risks. In addition, the theoretical specific capacity of graphite material is only 372 mAh g
-1, and with a decrease in temperature, its capacity will also decrease significantly. Its capacity quickly degrades to just 12 mAh g
-1 at -20 °C. Gunawardhana et al. used chemical vapor deposition (CVD) to uniformly cover graphite with carbon to modify the graphite itself [
73]. Different amounts of carbon coating on the surface of natural graphite were used to suppress the amount of lithium deposited at -10 °C and reduce the deposition of lithium on the surface of the graphite. This method provides a uniform carbon coating covering the entire graphite surface, inhibits the unnecessary active points on the graphite, and forms an optimized SEI layer, resulting in better lithium intercalation and deintercalation performance at low temperature. In addition, it effectively inhibits the deposition of lithium on natural graphite, which is very effective for improving the safety of LIBs at low temperatures. In addition to having potential uses in machinery, energy storage, catalysis, electronic devices, and environmental treatment, graphene has a sheet-like structure and exceptional physical properties, such as a high surface area ratio, high electron mobility, and high thermal conductivity. It can be used as a conductive agent to reduce the amount of conductive agent required (10
6 S m
-1). However, the sheet-like structure of graphene also prevents the diffusion of lithium ions, resulting in lower battery multiplier performance. The cellulose/graphene paper developed by Zhang et al. has good mechanical properties and excellent electrochemical performance [
74]. Excellent charge–discharge stability after 1600 cycles was achieved using cellulose/graphene paper as the negative electrode in LIBs.
CNTs have seamless cylindrical nanostructures composed of carbon atoms with special chirality, outstanding composite physical properties, high electrical conductivity (up to 10
8 S m
-1) and high impact resistance [
75]. Compared with traditional graphite-based anodes, CNT-based anodes have a higher reversible lithium-ion capacity and the open structure of CNTs enhances the electrical transmission and capacity of CNT-based LIBs. Furthermore, CNTs can be placed into freestanding electrodes without the use of an adhesive or collector, increasing the specific energy density throughout the entire battery design.
As a relatively new fluorescent carbon-based nanomaterial, carbon dots are characterized by excellent biocompatibility, dimmable luminescence (PL), high quantum yield, and unique electronic and physicochemical properties. In addition, the excellent PL properties of carbon dots have been widely exploited in biological imaging, light-emitting diodes (LED), and other fields [
76].
Carbon nanocages are cage-like nano-carbon materials formed by carbon layer curling, and have high a specific surface area, hierarchical distributed pore structure and excellent electrical conductivity [
77]. Nanocages, as opposed to other nanostructures, facilitate the contact between electrode materials and electrolytes and shorten the ion diffusion channel, which creates more space and sufficient electrolyte ions for rapid electrochemical reactions, aiding cycling stability.
Fullerenes are hollow molecules made entirely of carbon, similar in structure to graphite. Fullerenes can be divided into C₂₀, C₆₀, C₇₀, C₇₆, and C₈₀ depending on the total number of carbon atoms. Of these, the highly symmetric cage structure of C₆₀ gives it high stability, good electrochemical properties and mechanical support, and it has therefore been applied to improve the chemical properties of LIBs [
78].
Owning to its distinct structure and superior intrinsic physical and chemical properties, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C
3N
4), a typical polymeric organic semiconductor, has recently gained increasing interest as an electrochemical energy storage material [
79]. In contrast to graphitic layers, g-C
3N
4 exhibits regular stacking of C
3N
4 layers, which are composed of sp
2 hybrid conjugated C and N atoms. Additionally, g-C
3N
4 is a strong substance with great chemical stability because it is not dissolved in alkali, acidic solution, or organic solvents. Moreover, g-C
3N
4 is readily synthesized from a variety of nitrogen-rich precursors, including dicyandiamide, urea, melamine, and thiourea, all of which are inexpensive, environmentally friendly, and naturally abundant in the earth. These characteristics make g-C
3N
4 an excellent choice for energy storage materials. However, there aren't many uses for pure g-C
3N
4 at the moment due to its poor electrical conductivity and small interlayer spacing distance. Some studies have used g-C
3N
4 as an electrolyte additive or in combination with other electrode materials to stabilize properties [
80,
81].
There is an increasing need for LIBs with high energy density, rapid charging, and a wide temperature range. The purpose of the following sections is to enhance the structural alteration and electronic control of carbon-based anode materials for the low-temperature performance of LIBs. As shown in
Table 1, carbon materials can be modified to obtain excellent LIB performance at low temperatures.
MnO nanoparticles anchored on graphite (MnO@Graphite), etching Ti3SiC2 in an atmosphere containing SF6(SFC), BNG tubular foam obtained by the chemical vapor deposition CVD method, Mo2C particles are embedded in the nitrogen-containing carbon framework (N,S−Mo2C/C-ACF), N-doped TiO2/TiN/graphene (G/HTO).
3.1.1. Electronic modulation of carbon-based anodes for low-temperature LIBs
Altering the surface electron configuration of the carbon anode and directly altering the surface of the LIBs anode are two common techniques for controlling the electrons on the surface of carbon atoms. These techniques can facilitate the insertion of a layer of lithium and facilitate the dissolution of lithium ions [
92]. The N, S and P doping method can also be effective in improving the energy storage capacity and movement rate of lithium ions, and thus enable LIBs to be used in extreme conditions [
93]. Additionally, the low-temperature performance of LIBs can be improved using the same techniques that are employed to enhance the low-temperature performance of SIBs.
The key, according to Yao's group, is to modify the surface electron configuration of the carbon anode in order to improve coordination between dissolved lithium ions and the adsorption sites, thereby promoting the dissolution of lithium ions and lowering the activation energy of the charge transfer process [
94]. They discovered that curved surfaces, particularly those with positive curvature, had a stronger affinity for lithium ions than planes with zero curvature, making it possible to complete the high capacity of carbon anodes in extremely cold environments, as shown in
Figure 4a–g. They formed the electronic configuration of the surface through the reaction of the hybrid orbital type generated by the reaction of chemical bonds to bending deformation. The Riemannian and Lobachevsky surfaces are due to the noncoplanar sp
2 hybridized orbitals which lead to the abundant charge around the Fermi layer of the nonhexagonal defect point and the easy donation of electrons to the corresponding receptors. It is obvious that the accumulated charge on the Riemann surface contributes significantly to lowering the activation energy of charge transfer during low-temperature lithium-ion storage given the high capacity of O-DF (dodecahedral carbon frame) at low temperatures. They investigated synthetic O-DF and T-DF as LIB anode materials using CR2025 button cells to assess the impact of an atomic-scale Riemann surface and non-Euclidean surface on electrochemical performance at low temperatures. They discovered that O-DF had a much higher discharge-specific capacity than the other materials. It was discovered that the enriched charge of the noncoplanar Riemann surface may efficiently promote the transfer of charge from sp
x hybridized carbon to dissolved Li
+ and boost the capacity for coordination of the intrinsic defect sites. It was demonstrated that in extremely cold settings, Li
+ can be adsorbing and inserted more readily into noncoplanar Riemann surfaces. Their research showed that the Riemann surface could be used to control the hybrid orbital types of carbon atoms for surface electron modulation, strengthening the coordinated action between dissolved Li
+ and the adsorption point and inducing noncoplanar sp
x hybrid orbitals with unsaturated coordination, in which the local accumulation of charge lowers the energy barrier of charge transfer during Li
+ decolonization. It provides an effective solution to the serious capacity attenuation of the carbon anodes of LIBs in extremely cold environments.
As the temperature decreases, lithium-ion desolubilization energy and electrode polarization increase, resulting in the formation of Li dendritic crystals and the deterioration of battery performance, which seriously affects the low-temperature chemical performance of LIBs [
95]. In order to address this issue, Wang et al. enhanced the low-temperature lithium storage capability of MXene titanium carbide using a surface engineering strategy [
87]. They investigated the effects of surface oxygen termination on the effectiveness of lithium storage in MXene materials at low and high temperatures, and they optimized the sintering process to manage the amount of surface oxygen replacement (
Figure 5a–c). The surface oxygen-rich Ti
3C
2T
x(O) and Ti
3C
2O
x/TiO
2 were obtained in air and pure oxygen, respectively. Both of the surface-modified samples maintained the layered structure well, and the surface O-rich Ti
3C
2T
x(O) showed good electrolyte wettability, which promoted the dissolution of lithium ions and facilitated the lithium intercalation layer. At -20 ℃ and room temperature, Ti
3C
2T
x(O) showed better lithium storage performance, which significantly enhanced the chemical performance of LIBs at low temperatures. One of the main issues affecting the stability and safety of lithium-ion batteries is lithium dendrite growth, which causes the electrode and electrolyte interface to become unstable during the battery cycle, destroys the SEI film created, and continues to consume the electrolyte, resulting in the formation of dead lithium and low coulomb efficiency. Additionally, the development of lithium dendrites could result in diaphragm puncture, internal short-bonding of the LIBs, thermal runaway, and explosion due to combustion. Therefore, in order to decrease the local current density caused by lithium dendrites and enhance the low-temperature electrochemical performance of LIBs, it is necessary to design a high specific surface area anode. By etching Ti
3SiC
2 in an environment containing SF
6, J. Wang et al. successfully created accordion-like S/F codoped carbon to address this issue. Their lithium–SFC composite electrode displayed dendrite suppression and a minimal voltage lag, as illustrated in
Figure 5d [
88]. Over a wide temperature range (-10 to 50 °C), the SFC–Li anode and LFP cathode exhibited improved cycle stability and rate capability, and small voltage polarization (
Figure 5e,f). According to DFT simulations and experimental measurements, the increased electrochemical performance is primarily attributable to the uniform nucleation of lithium and the efficient control of stable SEI layers (
Figure 5g). This work represents a new approach to the development of low-temperature, high-energy-density, rechargeable lithium metal batteries.
Additionally, N doping can enhance the electrochemical performance of LIBs at low temperatures while enhancing the electrical conductivity of carbon materials. In this context, Zhang et al. created a three-dimensional N-doped porous carbon framework by sintering N-doped carbon dots (CDots) at 800°C. [
96]. The N-PCFs-based LIBs had a high capacity, and higher rate ability and cycle stability because of their wide surface area and high N doping concentration. After a thousand cycles, the laboratory performance reached 840 mAh g
−1. The findings demonstrate that carbon dots-derived N-PCFs make an excellent anode material for LIBs with good reversibility and extremely stable cycling performance. Using electrospinning and a post-thermal reduction process, L. Lu et al. created a hybrid carbon nanofiber (CNF) nanomaterial with MnO-Sn cubes embedded in nitrogen-doped CNF (MnO-Sn@CNF), which functioned well as an anode for LIBs and had a stable core–shell structure consisting of a three-dimensional conducting network [
97]. Additionally, the mesoporous surface of carbon fiber can decrease the lithium-ion diffusion distance and encourage the admixture of lithium ions with active sites. The physical structure of the electrode material is more stable because of the heterogeneous structure created by MnO and Sn within the carbon fiber. The material design technique offers a reference plan for the creation of a high-performance, low-temperature negative electrode for LIBs. Li et al. designed and synthesized a porous N, S-doped carbon framework, in which Mo
2C particles were embedded as an interlayer material to block polysilicate shuttling [
90]. As a catalytic medium, this material is used for lithium–electric conversion. It has extremely fast wetting ability for electrolytes and high lithium-ion conductivity. Moreover, it is very effective in inhibiting the shuttle of polymers and promoting the reuse of LiPSs adsorbed at the same time. The battery made from this material had good rate capacity and long cycle stability, and provides a valuable reference for expanding the application of Li-S batteries in a wide temperature range.
The technique for enhancing the low-temperature performance of SIBs through electronic modification of the negative electrode is also beneficial for enhancing the low- temperature performance of LIBs. In order to improve the low-temperature performance of sodium-ion batteries, Zhou et al. prepared expanded graphite by inserting a small amount of amorphous red phosphorus through oxidation, reduction, and gas deposition processes, which demonstrated good electrochemical performance. At room temperature, it displayed a high reversible specific capacity of 418 mAh g
-1. In practice, batteries can still be used in extremely cold temperatures because a specific capacity of more than 50 mAh g
-1 is still accessible at the temperature limit (-50 °C). By in-situ pyrolysis and selenization of PAN@ZIF-8 nanofibers ultrafine ZnSe, X. Wan et al. encapsulated MOF-derived superfine ZnSe nanoparticles in nitrogen-doped porous carbon nanofiber composites (ZnSe@NCNFs) [
98]. ZnSe@NCNF anodes showed excellent sodium storage properties and cycling stability. Additionally, the SIBs that were built functioned well in the -20 to -40 °C temperature range, opening up the possibility of using them for energy storage in harsh environments. S. Huang et al. constructed a structure by embedding FePS
3 into graphitized porous N-doped carbon, which caused the abundant graphitized pores to accelerate the diffusion of Na
+, and improved conductivity by constructing a conductive network of graphitized pore walls, as shown in
Figure 6a–h [
99]. The full-cell and half-cell matching NVPO@C also showed excellent performance under low temperatures and high loads. This work provides an important reference for the development of high-rate and -capacity anode materials and their low-temperature practicability.
3.2. Structural engineering of carbon-based anodes for low-temperature LIBs
The structural regulation of carbon-based materials is a promising technique for enhancing the low-temperature performance of LIBs and controlling electrons on the surface of carbon atoms. The internal structure of carbon-based materials can be controlled in the following six ways: improving electrolyte penetration of the surface area; rapid ion transport with short solid ion diffusion length; enhancing lithium storage electrochemical activity; improving the cycle stability of lithium-ion batteries; shortening the long diffusion path of lithium ions in graphite; and inhibiting the influence of lithium dendrites on the low-temperature performance of lithium ions. Thus, the low-temperature chemical performance of LIBs can be improved.
Carbon nanomaterials represent promising high-speed anodes for lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries because of their plentiful carbon nanostructures, which enable electrolyte penetration with a high surface area and rapid ion transport with short solid-state ion diffusion lengths, and which can prevent bottlenecks caused by significant volume changes during ion intercalation/delamination. Ion diffusion, electron transport, and structural stability can all be effectively enhanced by using the three-dimensional layered structure of carbon nanomaterials. In this regard, Hu’s group prepared hCNC at 800 ℃ using the in situ magnesium oxide template method [
100]. Its distinctive porous network structure is particularly advantageous for electron conduction, ion diffusion, structural stability, and electrolyte penetration, resulting in a high rate ability and long cycle life. After ten cycles, the matching electrode for lithium storage had a steady reversible capacity of 970 mAh g
-1 at 0.1 A g
-1 (
Figure 7a–e). Interconnected hollow carbon nanocages with three-dimensional layered structures are visible in SEM and TEM pictures, and this is advantageous for the (de)insertion of Li ions. Additionally, Huang et al. created porous bimetallic Co/Zn-embedded N-doped carbon (Co-Zn/N-C) polyhedral nanocages by annealing the ZIF-8@ZIF-67 precursor in an argon atmosphere at 800 °C to address the issue of low specific capacity (372 mAh g
-1) of the graphite anode material in LIBs [
101]. As shown in
Figure 7f–i, the Co-Zn/N-C has a large specific surface area of 349.12 m
2 g
-1 and many micropores and mesoporous pores because nanoparticles are evenly distributed throughout the carbon matrix. The influence of volume change is reduced, and the electrical conductivity of the entire electrode is maintained. The lithium storage electrochemical activity is increased thanks to the distinctive porous hollow structure of Zn and Co and the synergistic effect of N doping. The initial discharge capacity of 809 mAh g
-1 and capacity retention capacity after 400 cycles at a current density of 0.2 A g
-1 of the porous Co-Zn/N-C polyhedral nanocages-based electrodes are beneficial for enhancing the low-temperature chemical performance of LIBs, and merit further research.
Because of the advantages of small size and large specific surface area, MoO
2 nanoparticles have far better charge transfer and storage performance than other materials, and are a good choice for LIBs. The inserted carbon-based substrate can simultaneously operate as a strong skeleton and an efficient conducting network to dampen the volume variations of MoO
2 nanoparticles and increase their cyclic stability. MoO
2 is therefore considered a potential electrode material for lithium- ion storage. However, in LIBs, MoO
2 exhibits delayed kinetics and significant volume expansion/contraction. A workable method to enhance the electrochemical performance of MoO
2-based materials has been thought of as the reasonable production of MoO
2 nanoparticles and highly conductive carbon decorative materials, n-MoO
2@C. In 2015, MoO
2/C appeared for the first time [
102]. The three-dimensional porous MoO
2@C/graphene multistage structure of the composite material demonstrated remarkable electrochemical capabilities, including high capacity, long cycle life, and a steady, high rate. In 2022, Li et al. used a self-made template method to design and synthesize MoO
2 and N-doped graded carbon nanoplates (s-MoO
2/N-C) with strong surface bonding through an interface Mo-N-C bond, which demonstrated excellent lithium storage performance at low temperature, providing guidance for enhancing the carbon negative electrode for low-temperature performance of LIBs (
Figure 8) [
103].
The low-temperature performance of LIBs can be greatly enhanced by optimizing the relatively inert carbon network into an active material for lithium-ion storage at low temperatures. For this, F. Lu et al. prepared branched N-doped graphitic tubular foam (BNG) as an anode material for high performance LIBs at low temperatures using the self-fracture template CVD method, ensuring that the heterocompound nitrogen introduced was precisely distributed throughout the frame, increasing the spacing between planes, and enabling electronic optimization (
Figure 9a–d) [
89]. Because the design is dominated by pyridine/pyrrole defect C-N moieties and has curved knots and enlarged plane branches throughout the BNG tubular foam, LIBs are able to reach a reasonable capacity of 222.5 mAh g
-1 at -10 °C. By achieving the anticipated cycle longevity and coulomb efficiency, high-performance lithium storage at low temperatures can now be designed and optimized in greater detail. To further enhance the rate performance of lithium ions between the electrode and electrolyte interface and therefore enhance the low-temperature performance of LIBs, it is also appropriate to minimize the long diffusion path of lithium ions in graphite. Xu et al. synthesized nanosheets (PGN) and CNT using a novel carbon composite material composed of porous graphite [
49]. CNTs can prevent graphite from reaccumulating and through-holes on porous graphite nanosheets can efficiently shorten the diffusion path. In PG/CNT composites, the predominant mesopore and few micropores encourage the rapid transmission of lithium ions, which allows LIBs to have strong rate and low-temperature performance (
Figure 9e–j).
Despite significant progress, significant challenges remain in utilizing carbon-based materials for low temperature LIBs, and primary focus should be directed towards the following areas: 1): Due to the significant influence of hierarchical porous structure on mass transport during energy storage and conversion, it is crucial to determine its role through theoretical modelling; 2) Electrochemical reaction mechanism; 3) How to adapt battery performance to extreme temperatures; 4) How to use first principles to calculate the electronic structure of carbon-based materials surface/interface and establish a mass transfer model, so as to find a way to reduce the energy barrier of Li+ migration.