Resin-Derived Ni3S2/Carbon Nanocomposite for Advanced Rechargeable Aqueous Zn-Based Batteries

The exploration of high-energy and stable cathode materials is highly desirable and challenging for the development of advanced Zn-based batteries. In this work, a facile pyrolysis method is reported to synthetize Ni3S2/carbon nanocomposite as high-performance cathode by employing ion exchange resin as a precursor. Attributing to the abundant active sites and enhanced conductivity from well binding between Ni3S2 and carbon, a markedly high capacity of 234.3 mA h g(-1) is obtained for this Ni3S2/carbon at a high current density of 6.9 A g(-1). Moreover, a Zn-based battery is demonstrated by using the Ni3S2/carbon as a cathode and Zn plate as an anode, which delivers a maximum power density of 58.6 kW kg(-1), together with a peak energy density of 356 W h kg(-1) and 93.7% capacity retention after 5000 charging-discharging cycles. This simple synthetic strategy to achieve robust Ni-based composite electrodes may open up new opportunities to design other transition metal-based electrodes for energy storage applications.