Abstract

The global need for high energy density and performing rechargeable batteries has led to the development of high-capacity silicon-based anode materials to meet the energy demands imposed to electrify plug-in vehicles to curtail carbon emissions by 2035. Unfortunately, the high theoretical capacity (4200 mA h g⁻¹) of silicon by (de-)alloy mechanism is limited by its severe volume changes (ΔV ∼ 200% − 400%) during cycling for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), while for sodium-ion batteries (NIBs) remain uncertain, and hence, compositing with carbons (C@Si) represent a promising strategy to enable the aforementioned practical application. The present review outlines the recent progress of biomass-derived Si-carbon composite (C@Si) anodes for LIBs and NIBs. In this perspective, we present different types of biomass precursors, silicon sources, and compositing strategies, and how these impact on the C@Si physicochemical properties and their electrochemical performance are discussed.