Effect of ammonium fluoride concentration on synthesis of Co3O4/CC as cathode material for zinc cobalt battery applications

Aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) have received great attention due to their simple manufacturing technology, high energy density, intrinsic safety and economic feasibility. Co3O4 is one of the ideal cathode materials for aqueous zinc-ion batteries, but many studies were concentrated on the synthesis, design and doping of cathodes. The effect of process parameters on morphology and performance were rare reported. In this paper, Co3O4/CC cathode material based on carbon cloth was prepared by different reactant concentration. The reactant concentration ratio were 2:1, 4:1, 6:1 and 8:1, respectively. The battery was possessed better performance that was assembled by Co3O4/CC material synthesized reactant concentration of 2:1. Co3O4/CC nanowire was uniform distribution, regular surface and small size on carbon cloth. The Zn-ion battery had excellent rate performance and low reaction resistance. The average discharge specific capacity is 142.6 mAh/g and capacity retention rates of 87.8% after 60 charge discharge cycles. The discharge specific capacity and capacity retention rate are significantly higher than the other three Co3O4/CC materials and the charge transfer resistance of the material is the smallest. The study optimized applicable reactant concentration of fabrication cathode Co3O4 in zinc-ion batteries.

Automated summary

This study synthesized Co3O4/CC cathode materials with excellent performance for aqueous zinc-ion batteries by varying the reactant concentration. The Co3O4/CC nanowires exhibited uniform distribution, regular surface, and small size on the carbon cloth. The battery assembled with Co3O4/CC material synthesized at a reactant concentration ratio of 2:1 showed better performance, with high discharge specific capacity and capacity retention rate.