Enhancing Lithium Storage Capacity of ZnO Anodes Through Ni[sub 3]ZnC[sub 0.7] Incorporation

In this study, lithium storage capacity of ZnO anodes was significantly enhanced by incorporation. A core-shell nanocomposite was synthesized through a simple thermal decomposition of Zn/Ni-based organic precursors, and the structural and electrochemical characteristics of the composite were investigated in detail. At a current density of , the composite exhibited an initial discharge capacity of and retained a discharge capacity of at the 50th cycle. The latter value was at least twice larger than that of the ZnO–C composite prepared by a similar process. The enhanced lithium storage capacity was believed to arise from the catalytic and conductive effects of the phase. The reversible capacity of the composite could be tuned by varying the molar ratio of Zn/Ni in the precursors. The present findings opened the possibility of preparing anode materials for lithium-ion batteries via a molecular design on organic precursors.