Publication date: 15th December 2025
Achieving high capacity and stability in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) remains a major challenge due to sluggish ion kinetics and unstable interphases at carbon–electrolyte interfaces. Here, we present a conformal carbon film (CF) coating strategy that fundamentally transforms sodium storage behavior in porous carbon electrodes. Using chemical vapor deposition (CVD), uniform carbon films are grown on activated carbon fiber (ACF) scaffolds, forming CF/ACF hybrid electrodes that combine nanoconfinement, interfacial stability, and structural integrity in a single architecture.
This conformal coating enables a controlled transition from surface-driven adsorption to diffusion-dominated sodium storage. The CF layer homogenizes the interfacial reaction environment and stabilizes SEI formation, effectively suppressing parasitic side reactions typically observed in pristine ACF. As a result, CF/ACF electrodes deliver record reversible capacities of up to 515 mAh g-1, including a distinct plateau capacity of 420 mAh g-1 (<0.15V vs. Na+/Na), representing the highest reported value for carbon-based sodium-ion anodes.
Electrochemical analysis reveals that sodium storage proceeds through a two-stage mechanism: (i) rapid adsorption at accessible surface sites, followed by (ii) gradual filling of confined sub-nanometer pores beneath the carbon film. This confinement-driven process promotes uniform ion transport, enhanced reversibility, and excellent rate capability, maintaining high capacity even under extended cycling.
This work establishes a scalable, composition-flexible CVD strategy to convert low-cost carbon powders and fibers into high-performance sodium-ion battery anodes. The process achieves a synthetic SEI-like film that controls the electrode-electrolyte interface, promotes uniform SEI formation atop, and enables nanoconfinement of sodium. The generality of the approach is validated across multiple commercial carbons, including activated carbon fibers, powders, and carbide-derived carbons.
Overall, this study bridges fundamental gas-phase deposition chemistry with advanced battery interface engineering, opening new pathways for tailoring ion-host interactions in porous materials for next-generation energy storage systems.
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