The role of graphene aerogels in rechargeable batteries

Energy storage systems, particularly rechargeable batteries, play a crucial role in establishing a sustainable energy infrastructure. Today, researchers focus on improving battery energy density, cycling stability, and rate performance. This involves enhancing existing materials or creating new ones with advanced properties for cathodes and anodes to achieve peak battery performance. Graphene aerogels (GAs) possess extraordinary attributes, including a hierarchical porous and lightweight structure, high electrical conductivity, and robust mechanical stability. These qualities facilitate the uniform distribution of active sites within electrodes, mitigate volume changes during repeated cycling, and enhance overall conductivity. When integrated into batteries, GAs expedite electron/ion transport, offer exceptional structural stability, and deliver outstanding cycling performance. This review offers a comprehensive survey of the advancements in the preparation, functionalization, and modification of GAs in the context of battery research. It explores their application as electrodes and hosts for the dispersion of active material nanoparticles, resulting in the creation of hybrid electrodes for a wide range of rechargeable batteries including lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), Li-metal-air batteries, sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) and zinc-air batteries (ZABs), aluminum-ion batteries (AIBs) and aluminum-air batteries and other.