Progress and prospects of graphene-based materials in lithium batteries

Reasonable design and applications of graphene-based materials are supposed to be promising ways to tackle many fundamental problems emerging in lithium batteries, including suppression of electrode/electrolyte side reactions, stabilization of electrode architecture, and improvement of conductive component. Therefore, extensive fundamental research on this aspect has been performed so far. However, when it comes to large-scale industrial applications, the utilization of graphene-based materials progresses at a very slow pace. Namely, there presents a severe technological decoupling between academic research and industrial application, and there is an urgent need to link them. Herein, in order to address current issues of graphene-based materials used in lithium batteries, we present their latest advancements with state-of-the-art technologies. Potential applications of graphene-based materials in practical lithium batteries are highlighted and predicted to bridge the gap between the academic progress and industrial manufacture, thereby paving the way for accelerating the development of graphene-based material as well as lithium battery industry. Graphical abstract