CVD of carbon nanotubes in porous nickel for anodes in lithium ion battery

•Brief overview of carbonaceous materials.•Methods in fabricating CNTs and CNTs/hybrids on porous Ni.•Battery performance of CNTs and CNTs/hybrids on porous Ni.

Graphite materials are widely used in the commercialized lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) as anode materials. However, the capacity of graphite anode is relatively low and cannot afford enough energy density required in many emerging applications. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) possess both high specific surface area and excellent electrical conductivity, which render them desired materials for the electrode of energy storage devices. In this short review article, LIB electrodes prepared by integrating three dimensional nickel structures and CNTs are reviewed. In addition, different methods of attaching CNT and hybrid-CNT on porous Ni are discussed.