Synthesis of ZnMn2O4 spinel by a co-precipitation method in water–ethanol solvent and its prospective application as a high-performance anode material for lithium-ion batteries
摘要
ZnMn2O4 (ZMO) nanoparticles were synthesized via the co-precipitation method at different pH values (9, 10, and 11), followed by calcination at 850 °C to investigate the influence of pH on their crystal structure and electrochemical properties. X-ray diffraction results indicated that all samples exhibited a pure spinel phase, while scanning electron microscopy images revealed that increasing the pH led to a reduction in particle size from approximately 89 nm to 80 nm. When employed as an anode material in Li-ion batteries, the as-prepared ZMO electrodes exhibit distinctive electrochemical performances, including low resistance, high specific capacity, high Coulombic efficiency, current rate capability and excellent capacity retention. After 60 cycles, the specific capacities of the ZMO_pH 9, ZMO_pH 10, and ZMO_pH 11 samples are 636 mAh g⁻¹, 407 mAh g⁻¹, and 351 mAh g⁻¹, respectively. The superior capacity of ZMO_pH 9 was attributed to the suitable nanoparticle size together with the optimized elemental composition in the spinel structures. These results demonstrate the significant potential of ZMO as a promising alternative anode material to commercial graphite for Li-ion batteries.