The preparation and properties of N-doped carbon materials and their use for sodium storage

Defect engineering by heteroatom doping gives carbon materials some new characteristics such as a different electronic structure and a high electrochemical activity, making them suitable for high-performance applications. N-doping has been widely investigated because of its similar atom radius to carbon, high electronegativity as well as many different configurations. We summarize the preparation methods and properties of N-doped carbon materials, and discuss their possible use in sodium ion storage. The relationships between N content/configuration and crystallinity, electronic conductivity, wettability, chemical reactivity as well as sodium ion storage performance are discussed.