Ice?Templated, Sustainable Carbon Aerogels with Hierarchically Tailored Channels for Sodium? and Potassium?Ion Batteries

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) and potassium-ion (PIBs) are prospective candidates for large-scale energy storage systems cause of their abundant resources. However, unsatisfactory rate cycling performance carbon-based anodes present a bottleneck the applications SIBs/PIBs due to large sizes sodium/potassium ions. Herein, oxygen-doped vertically aligned carbon aerogels (VCAs) with hierarchically tailored channels synthesized as in via controllable unidirectional ice-templating technique. VCA-3 (cooling 3 K min?1) delivers highest reversible capacity ?298 mAh g?1 at 0.1 C an excellent over 2000 cycles 0.5 SIBs, while VCA-5 manifests superior ?258 82.7% retention 1000 PIBs. Moreover, full cells demonstrate promising potential VCAs applications. This novel strategy opens unique avenues tune construction hollow shortening ion-transport pathways ensuring structural integrity. New insights into structure-performance correlations regulated by cooling rates design guidelines electrodes applicable multiple technologies reported.