Transition Metal Carbides and Nitrides as Anode Materials for Rechargeable Batteries

Transition metal carbides and nitrides (TMCs and TMNs) are emerging as superior anode materials for next-generation rechargeable batteries, offering outstanding electrical conductivity, thermal and chemical stability, and mechanical strength. This review consolidates recent developments that position TMCs/TMNs as solutions to existing lithium-ion constraints, resource scarcity, cost, and slow progress in electrode materials, while also addressing the distinct challenges of sodium-ion systems, including the substantial Na⁺ radius and graphite incompatibility. Here, our main focus is to comprehensively elaborate on how customized nanostructuring, compositional adjustment, and enhanced surface area enhance charge transfer and accommodate volumetric fluctuations, thereby boosting life-cycle and rate capability. Mechanistic understanding of ion insertion, interfacial engineering, and phase stability is combined with application-oriented solutions for composites and binders. We delineate essential pathways for materials design, scalable synthesis, and electrode architecture that may expedite the practical implementation of TMC/TMN-based anodes for lithium and sodium battery technologies, integrating performance with sustainability.