Engineering C–N Moieties in Branched Nitrogen-Doped Graphite Tubular Foam toward Stable Li+-Storage at Low Temperature

The unsatisfied low-temperature performance of anode materials in Li-ion batteries (LIBs) remains an unsolved challenge in the development of LIBs. In particular, the inferior Li-ion diffusion kinetics at lower temperatures limits the capacity and durability of LIBs. Extensive research studies have confirmed that a novel structural design of the anode material is of fundamental importance to solve the problem. In this work, we reported a highly branched nitrogen-doped graphitic (BNG) tubular foam obtained by the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. The optimized C–N moieties, serving as the active atomic realm, motivated superior Li+-diffusion and converted relatively inert original localized carbon networks into active materials for lithium-ion storage at low temperatures. Thus, a desired reversible capacity (222.5 mAh g–1) and a good cycling stability (218.8 mAh g–1 after 150 cycles at 0.1C) for LIBs were achieved at −10 °C. These results have significant implications for the novel anode design toward low-temperature Li-ion storage.