Synthesis of interconnected mesoporous ZnCo2O4 nanosheets on a 3D graphene foam as a binder-free anode for high-performance Li-ion batteries

Xu Wang; Qi Chen; Pei Zhao; Miao Wang

doi:10.1039/c8ra05035j

Synthesis of interconnected mesoporous ZnCo₂O₄ nanosheets on a 3D graphene foam as a binder-free anode for high-performance Li-ion batteries

RSC Adv. 2018 Oct 2;8(59):33717-33727. doi: 10.1039/c8ra05035j. eCollection 2018 Sep 28.

Authors

Xu Wang¹, Qi Chen¹, Pei Zhao², Miao Wang¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physics, Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310027 P. R. China miaowang@zju.edu.cn peizhao@zju.edu.cn.
² Institute of Applied Mechanics, Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310027 P. R. China.

Abstract

Interconnected mesoporous sheet-like ZnCo₂O₄ nanomaterials directly grown on a three-dimensional (3D) graphene film (GF) coated on Ni foam (NF) have been successfully synthesized via an effective chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method combined with a subsequent hydrothermal route. When the ZnCo₂O₄@3DGF@NF composite material with a high surface area of 46.06 m² g^-1 is evaluated as a binder-free anode material for lithium ion batteries, it exhibits a superior electrochemical performance with a high discharge capacity (1223 mA h g^-1 at a current density of 500 mA g^-1 after 240 cycles), and an excellent reversibility (coulombic efficiency of 97-99%). Such an outstanding electrochemical performance may be attributed to its unique mesoporous sheet-like nanostructure with a 3DGF supporting, which can facilitate the electrolyte penetration and accelerate the ion/electron transport, as well as buffer the volume variation during charge/discharge processes.