Recent advances and scientometric insights into alkali metal–CO2 batteries: materials, performance, and future directions

Abstract

Alkali metal–CO₂ batteries are emerging as key sustainable energy storage technologies due to their high energy density and CO₂ capture capabilities. This review provides a comprehensive overview of lithium (Li), sodium (Na), and potassium (K)–CO₂ batteries, emphasizing materials development, cell configurations, and electrochemical performance. Particular attention is given to cathode materials, transition metal catalysts, anode degradation, and the influence of electrolytes and separators on battery stability. Beyond technical discussions, a scientometric meta-analysis was conducted following the PRISMA 2020 methodology, analysing 206 articles from Web of Science and Scopus (2015–2025). VOSviewer was used to identify research hotspots, keyword clusters, and global collaboration networks. The results show that Li–CO₂ batteries dominate the field, while Na–CO₂ and K–CO₂ systems have gained attention due to their cost and conductivity advantages. However, rate-limited kinetics, anode instability, and electrolyte degradation remain significant barriers to commercialization. Integrating advanced catalysts, solid-state or hybrid electrolytes, and functional separators presents promising pathways toward efficient and durable systems. This review concludes by proposing future research directions to accelerate the development of high-performance, scalable metal–CO₂ batteries for energy and environmental applications.