Sodium ion capacitors: materials, mechanism and challenges

Sodium-ion capacitors (SICs), designed to attain high energy density, rapid energy delivery, and long lifespan, have attracted much attention because of their comparable performance to lithium-ion capacitors (LICs), alongside abundant sodium resources. Conventional SIC design is based on battery-like anodes and capacitive cathodes, in which the battery-like anode materials involve various reactions, such as insertion, alloying, and conversion reactions, and the capacitive cathode materials usually depend on activated carbon (AC). However, researchers have attempted to construct SICs based on battery-like cathodes and capacitive anodes or a combination of both in recent years. In this Minireview, charge storage mechanisms and material design strategies for SICs are summarized, with a focus on the battery-like anode materials from both inorganic and organic sources. Additionally, the challenges in the fabrication of SICs and future research directions are discussed.