Recent progress of self-supported anode materials for Li-ion batteries

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), as an energy device with high energy conversion efficiency, no memory effect, long cycle life, safety and reliability, have been widely used in portable electronic devices, energy storage stations and electric vehicles. Particularly, anode materials serve as an important component of batteries, which have a profound impact on the performance and cost of LIBs. Compared with traditional coating methods for preparing anode materials, self-supported anode materials that do not require adhesives and conductive agents can effectively improve the energy density and electrochemical performance of LIBs. This paper first introduced the working principle of LIBs. Subsequently, the research progress of self-supported anode materials in LIBs was reviewed based on different conductive substrates, synthesis methods, and applications in flexible batteries. Consequently, the advantages and disadvantages of different conductive substrates were analyzed, meanwhile, the development of high-performance self-supported anode materials for flexible LIBs was prospected.