Enhancing Lithium Storage Capacity of ZnO Anodes Through Ni3ZnC0.7 Incorporation

In this study, lithium storage capacity of ZnO anodes was significantly enhanced by Ni3ZnC0.7 incorporation. A core-shell ZnO-Ni3ZnC0.7-C nanocomposite was synthesized through a simple thermal decomposition of Zn/Ni-based organic precursors, and the structural and electrochemical characteristics of the composite were investigated in detail. At a current density of 0.20 mA cm(-2), the ZnO-Ni3ZnC0.7-C composite exhibited an initial discharge capacity of 1120 mAh g(-1) and retained a discharge capacity of 372 mAh g(-1) at the 50th cycle. The latter value was at least twice larger than that of the ZnO-C composite prepared by a similar process. The enhanced lithium storage capacity was believed to arise from the catalytic and conductive effects of the Ni3ZnC0.7 phase. The reversible capacity of the ZnO-Ni3ZnC0.7-C composite could be tuned by varying the molar ratio of Zn/Ni in the precursors. The present findings opened the possibility of preparing anode materials for lithium-ion batteries via a molecular design on organic precursors. (C) 2009 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/1.3256130] All rights reserved.