The rational design of inorganic and organic material based nanocomposite hybrids as Na-ion battery electrodes

The past decade has witnessed significant research interest in rechargeable Na-ion batteries (SIBs). Compared to Li-ion batteries (LIBs), SIBs promise to be much more cost-effective, thanks to the high abundance of sodium, and they are capable of providing energy densities close to LIBs when the cost is normalized. However, although promising, conventional SIB electrodes suffer from low capacities/poor rate capabilities due to slow Na+ diffusion kinetics and inferior cycle lives due to structural and phase instability. To mitigate these issues, much effort has been devoted towards designing composite electrodes, where the components can synergistically boost the capacities, rate capabilities, and cycling stabilities. While the rational design of electrodes has been able to overcome certain hurdles relating to SIB technology, summarizing coherent approaches for addressing issues in this field is important in order to direct the future sustainable and economic development of commercially viable high-performance electrodes. In this review, we have summarized recent advances relating to the rational design of carbonaceous and non-carbonaceous nanocomposites involving different inorganic and organic materials for SIB applications. Synthesis strategies, synergistic interactions, and electrochemical performance data are summarized. Existing issues are covered and potential solutions for designing better electrodes are also proposed.