The design and engineering strategies of metal tellurides for advanced metal-ion batteries

Owning various crystal structures and high theoretical capacity, metal tellurides are emerging as promising electrode materials for high-performance metal-ion batteries (MBs). Since metal telluride-based MBs are quite new, fundamental issues raise regarding the energy storage mechanism and other aspects affecting electrochemical performance. Severe volume expansion, low intrinsic conductivity and slow ion diffusion kinetics jeopardize the performance of metal tellurides, so that rational design and engineering are crucial to circumvent these disadvantages. Herein, this review provides an in-depth discussion of recent investigations and progresses of metal tellurides, beginning with a critical discussion on the energy storage mechanisms of metal tellurides in various MBs. In the following, recent design and engineering strategies of metal tellurides, including morphology engineering, compositing, defect engineering and heterostructure construction, for high-performance MBs are summarized. The primary focus is to present a comprehensive understanding of the structural evolution based on the mechanism and corresponding effects of dimension control, composition, electron configuration and structural complexity on the electrochemical performance. In closing, outlooks and prospects for future development of metal tellurides are proposed. This work also highlights the promising directions of design and engineering strategies of metal tellurides with high performance and low cost.