Research and Development of Popcorn-Shaped Co3O4@CoCO3 Zinc Ion Battery Composite Cathode Material Prepared by Hydrothermal Method

Abstract

Co3O4 and CoCO3 materials have broad development prospects as zinc ion battery materials in water systems. In this paper, Co3O4@CoCO3 composite material for water zinc ion battery cathode was synthesized by hydrothermal method, and the best raw material was selected by screening the cobalt source. Then the temperature and time of hydrothermal reaction were optimized, as well as the temperature and time of calcination, so as to discover the best experimental route for the synthesis of Co3O4@CoCO3 composite materials. The capacity of the Co3O4@CoCO3 composite material rises to 124.89[Formula: see text]mAh/g after 10 cycles of charge and discharge at 50[Formula: see text]mA/g current density, indicating its electrochemical performance is good. The XRD analysis of the material shows that the composite is mainly composed of Co3O4@CoCO3 crystal structure, and no obvious impurity is found. As can be seen from the SEM image of synthesized composite material, the main morphology of the material is a round block structure covered with folds, similar to the popcorn shape. The EDS test and element analysis show that all elements are evenly distributed in microscale. Through the analysis of infrared spectra, it can be seen that Co3O4 and CoCO3 are composited together, forming a stable structure, and enhancing the electrochemical performance of the material.