Exploring T-carbon for energy applications

Guangzhao Qin,a Kuan-Rong Hao,b Qing-Bo Yan, *c Ming Hu *a andGang Su *b,d

aDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia,aDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia,SC 29208, USA. E-mail: hu@sc.edubSchool of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100049, China. E-mail: gsu@ucas.ac.cncCollege of Materials Science and Opto-Electronic Technology, University of ChineseAcademy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China. E-mail: yan@ucas.ac.cndKavli Institute for Theoretical Sciences, and CAS Center for Excellence inTopological Quantum Computation, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100190, China

Seeking for next-generation energy sources that are economic, sustainable (renewable), clean (environment-Seeking for next-generation energy sources that are economic, sustainable (renewable), clean (environment-friendly), and earth-abundant, is crucial when facing the challenges of the energy crisis. There havebeen numerous studies exploring the possibility of carbon-based materials to be utilized in future energyapplications. In this paper, we introduce T-carbon, which is a theoretically predicted but also a recentlyexperimentally synthesized carbon allotrope, as a promising material for next-generation energy applications.It is shown that T-carbon can be potentially used in thermoelectrics, hydrogen storage, lithiumion batteries, etc. The challenges, opportunities, and possible directions for future studies of energy applicationsof T-carbon are also addressed. With the development of more environment-friendly technologies,the promising applications of T-carbon in energy fields would not only produce scientificallysignificant impact in related fields, but also lead to a number of industrial and technical applications.