Hierarchical Porous Te@ZnCo2O4 Nanofibers Derived from Te@Metal-Organic Frameworks for Superior Lithium Storage Capability

1D hierarchical porous nanocomposites with tailored chemical composition are gaining popularity in lithium-ion batteries. Here, with core@shell Te@ZIF-8 (Zn, Co) nanofibers as a starting point, rational designed porous Te@ZnCo2O4 nanocomposite has been fabricated by a simple morphology-maintained and calcination-induced oxidative decomposition process, with the purpose of simultaneously settling the pulverization and conductivity issues of transition metal oxides. This is the first time to integrate Te and ZnCo2O4 into one architecture at nanometer level. The Te@ZnCo2O4 nanofibers combine both advantages of Te such as excellent electrical conductivity and ZnCo2O4 with high capacity as well as take full use of their synergistic effect. With the favorable 1D porous structure and the unique composition, this novel Te@ZnCo2O4 nanofiber manifests strong ability to improve the lithium storage performances with a high specific capacity of 1364 mA h g(-1) in the initial discharge and a reversible capacity of 956 mA h g(-1) after 100 cycles. When increased the current density to 2000 mA g(-1), the capacity still remains as 307 mA h g(-1), demonstrating superior rate capability. Furthermore, this general strategy can be extended to construct other core@shell Te@MOFs composites.