Bamboo derived cellulose nanofibers for high-performance Ni-Zn batteries: Enhancing rate capability by cobalt-doping

Suffering from sluggish kinetics and unstable architectures, the unsatisfied rate capability and poor cycling stability of nickel-based cathode hindered the widespread utilization of Ni-Zn batteries in fields of energy storage. Herein, we introduce suitable Co content to the nickel-carbon composite electrode materials and prepare a nickel-based cathode with 3D network structure using a carbon framework derived from bamboo cellulose nanofibers to anchor cobalt-doped nickel/nickel oxides (denoted as Co-Ni/NiO@C). Due to interlaced networks and abundant nanoscale metal sites, the Co-Ni/NiO@C owns abilities of fast electrons/ions transfer and efficient reversible reaction, which displays a high specific capacity of 241 mAh/g and excellent rate performance (78.1% retention after 20-folder current increase). When the Co-Ni/NiO@C was used as the cathode for a Ni-Zn battery, the battery exhibited a specific capacity of 321 mAh/g and retained 77.8% retention after a 20-folder current increase, indicating its good rate capability. Moreover, the Co-Ni/NiO@C//Zn battery also delivers an outstanding cycling performance (94.2% retention after 2500 cycles). Therefore, this work broadens the way to develop superior performance electrode materials derived from biomass carbon resources for large scale energy storage systems.

Automated summary

To overcome the limitations of nickel-based cathode in energy storage, the researchers introduced suitable cobalt content and utilized bamboo cellulose nanofibers-derived carbon framework to construct a nickel-based cathode with a 3D network structure (Co-Ni/NiO@C). The Co-Ni/NiO@C exhibited fast electrons/ions transfer, efficient reversible reaction, high specific capacity of 241 mAh/g, and excellent rate performance (78.1% retention after a 20-folder current increase). When used as the cathode in a Ni-Zn battery, the Co-Ni/NiO@C showed a specific capacity of 321 mAh/g and retained 77.8% after a 20-folder current increase, indicating good rate capability. Moreover, the Co-Ni/NiO@C//Zn battery demonstrated outstanding cycling performance (94.2% retention after 2500 cycles). This work expands the possibilities of developing biomass carbon-derived electrode materials for large-scale energy storage systems.