Novel synthesis and electrochemical investigations of ZnO/C composites for lithium-ion batteries

• Published in: Journal of materials science Vol. 56; no. 23; pp. 13227 - 13242
• Main Authors: Thauer, E., Zakharova, G. S., Andreikov, E. I., Adam, V., Wegener, S. A., Nölke, J. -H., Singer, L., Ottmann, A., Asyuda, A., Zharnikov, M., Kiselkov, D. M., Zhu, Q., Puzyrev, I. S., Podval’naya, N. V., Klingeler, R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.08.2021; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Anodes; Batteries; Carbon; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Classical Mechanics; Composite materials; Crystallography and Scattering Methods; Electric properties; Electrochemical analysis; Electrode materials; Energy Materials; Heat treatment; Ion diffusion; Lithium; Lithium-ion batteries; Materials Science; Morphology; Nanoparticles; Polymer Sciences; Precursors; Rechargeable batteries; Roasting; Solid Mechanics; Zinc oxide; Zinc oxides
• ISSN: 0022-2461; 1573-4803
• DOI: 10.1007/s10853-021-06125-4

For the first time, ZnO/C composites were synthesized using zinc glycerolate as a precursor through one-step calcination under a nitrogen atmosphere. The effect of the heat treatment conditions on the structure, composition, morphology as well as on the electrochemical properties regarding application in lithium-ion batteries are investigated. The products obtained by calcination of the precursor in nitrogen at 400—800 °C consist of zinc oxide nanoparticles and amorphous carbon that is in-situ generated from organic components of the glycerolate precursor. When used as anode material for lithium-ion batteries, the as-prepared ZnO/C composite synthesized at a calcination temperature of 700 °C delivers initial discharge and charge capacities of 1061 and 671 mAh g −1 at a current rate of 100 mA g −1 and hence 1.5 times more than bare ZnO, which reaches only 749/439 mAh g −1 . The native carbon improves the conductivity, allowing efficient electronic conductivity and Li-ion diffusion. By means of ex-situ XRD studies a two-step storage mechanism is proven.