Performance of flower-like ZnO/NiO/C bimetallic nanomaterials as anodes of lithium-ion batteries

Abstract

Abstract In this paper, as negative active materials for lithium-ion batteries, different porous nano-metal oxides NiO/C and ZnO/C and flower-like ZnO/NiO/C bimetallic nanomaterials were synthesized in this study using the straightforward solvothermal and calcination methods. The reaction conditions of precursor MOF-5-Zn, MOF-74-Ni, and Zn/Ni-MOF-2 were optimized by thermogravimetric analysis and conditional variable control. Second, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) were used to describe the materials' structure. The micromorphology of the material was analyzed by SEM. Finally, its electrochemical performance was tested by an electrochemical test. To confirm that their electrochemical performance is enhanced by their special structure, these materials were tested and compared for their electrochemical performance, and the finding revealed that the specific capacities of ZnO/NiO/C, NiO/C, and ZnO/C were 1490 mAh g− 1, 935 mAh g− 1 and 987 mAh g− 1 respectively for the initial discharge and 1078, 107, and 675 mAh g− 1 independently after 400 turns. The three independently measured capacities were 1078 mAh g− 1, 107 mAh g− 1, and 675 mAh g− 1. The corresponding capacity retention rates were 72.3%, 11.4%, and 68.4%. The prepared flower-like ZnO/NiO/C bimetallic nanomaterials have a significant specific surface area (596.34 m2 g− 1), a great initial specific capacity (1490 mAh g− 1), a strong cycling performance (1078 mAh g− 1 at 100 mA g− 1 after 400 cycles) and a good multiplicative performance. Characterization has shown that the material has exceptional characteristics because of its distinctive floral structure, many pores, and the interaction of several components. The volume expansion's issue has been resolved. The lithium-ion insertion/removal path is shortened, the lithium-ion diffusion channel is increased, and the service life of the battery is greatly enhanced. It offers a chance to research novel anode materials.