Hard carbon with tailored microstructure via thermal regulation for high-efficiency sodium-ion batteries.

Summary: Sodium-ion batteries are a great, low-cost way to store energy, but they need better parts to work perfectly. Scientists found a clever solution using cheap pine tree bark. By heating the bark to a very high temperature (1300°C), they turned it into a special material called "hard carbon." This extreme heat creates tiny, closed spaces inside the carbon. When used in a battery, this new pine-bark material helps the battery hold a lot of power and waste much less energy when it charges for the first time. It is a big step toward making cheaper, longer-lasting batteries for the future!