Cabbage-Inspired Graphene Aerogel Microspheres as Efficient Micro-Reactors for High-Yield Production of Short Carbon...

Lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) face critical challenges with graphite anodes, including limited theoretical capacity and sluggish Li⁺ diffusion kinetics leading to safety risks. Short carbon nanotubes (CNTs) offer compelling advantages due to shortened Li⁺ diffusion pathways and abundant defect-mediated active sites, yet scalable fabrication remains hindered by harsh preparation processes or low yield/purity. Herein, we report an innovative spatially confined CNTs growth strategy that utilizes cabbage-inspired graphene aerogel microspheres as efficient micro-reactors for high-yield production of defect-rich shortened CNTs. The unique aerogel microspheres with hierarchical pore architecture simultaneously maximizes the dispersion/exposure of nano-catalysts of metal, facilitates rapid propylene (C₃H₆) gas diffusion, and physically confines the CNTs longitudinal growth, enabling an unprecedented growth yield of 385.58 gg^{- 1} _cat in 1 h. The resulting short CNTs demonstrate superior LiBs anode performances compared with commercial graphite, exhibiting a high specific capacity of 468.73 mAhg^{- 1} and maintaining a great Coulombic efficiency of 98% at 0.2 C even after 100 cycles. This work develops a generalizable confined-growth paradigm for synthesizing advanced nanocarbons towards energy storage and sustainable valorization of hydrocarbons.