Lithium ion batteries (LIBs) have attracted tremendous interest in electric vehicles and smart grids, due to their inherent advantages of being powerful and environmentally benign. However, their performance is presently far from meeting the continually increasing demands for long-durance mileage and long lifespan. High-performance anodes with high specific capacity and long cyclability are of great significance to high-energy/high-power lithium ion batteries; however, there are still great challenges in advancing new materials beyond commercial graphite, whose capacity is low and limited by the theoretical values (372 mAh g -1 ). That is why scientists are continually searching for satisfying anode alternatives to graphite. [a] 4515 Figure 13. SEM and TEM images of (a) Mn 0.2 Fe 0.8 CO 3 /r-GO composites, (b, c) Co 0.2 Mn 0.8 CO 3 /graphene composites, and (d) Zn 0.12 Co 0.88 CO 3 /CNT composites. Reprinted with permission from ref. [62] Copyright 2017 Elsevier. The superiority of graphene (e, f and g) or CNT hybrid composites (h) indicated by the enhanced electrochemical behaviors. Reprinted with permission from ref. [67,68]