ZnSn(OH)6 nanocubes as a high-performance anode for lithium-ion batteries

ZnSn(OH)6 nanocubes as a high-performance anode for lithium-ion batteries

Qian Yang¹, Zhibin Wu^{2, 3}*, Zhijian Wang¹, Wei Liu¹, Jianwen Liu¹, Chuanqi Feng¹, Wei Sun⁴, Haimin Zhao⁴, Zaiping Guo^{1, 2, 3}

¹Hubei Collaborative Innovation Centre for Advanced Organic Chemical Materials and Ministry-of-Education Key Laboratory for Synthesis and Applications of Organic Functional Molecules, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China

²School of Mechanical, Materials & Mechatronics Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2500, Australia

³Institute for Superconducting & Electronic Materials, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia

⁴Tianneng Battery Group Co. Ltd, 18 Baoqiao Road, Huaxi Industrial Functional Zone, Changxing, Zhejiang, 313100, China

Adv. Mater. Lett., 2018, 9 (12), pp 880-884

DOI: 10.5185/amlett.2018.2143

Publication Date (Web): Sep 14, 2018

E-mail: zguo@uow.edu.au

Full Article

Abstract

Single-phase bi-metal oxides and sulfides have attracted considerable research interest recently for battery application because of their outstanding electrochemical properties, but there are few reports on single-phase bi-metal hydroxides in battery research. Herein, we pioneer the electrochemical study of ZnSn(OH)₆ nanocubes for lithium-ion battery application. The ZnSn(OH)₆ nanocubes, synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method, can deliver a favorable specific discharge capacity of 599.3 mA h g^-1 at 500 mA g^-1 after 200 cycles and maintain good rate capability even at 2 A g^-1. The excellent electrochemical performance of these ZnSn(OH)₆ nanocubes can be attributed to the synergetic Li storage capability of Zn and Sn elements with diverse electrochemical reactions, the small uniform nanocubes (30−50 nm) that alleviate the pulverization and cracking of the electrode and shorten electron/ion transport paths, and the good mechanical properties of ZnSn(OH)₆, which facilitate maintenance of the structural integrity of the electrode during the Li⁺ extraction/insertion process. Therefore, with these outstanding advantages, the ZnSn(OH)₆ nanocubes could be one of the most promising anodes for advanced lithium-ion batteries.