A facile synthesis of zinc oxide/multiwalled carbon nanotube nanocomposite lithium ion battery anodes by sol–gel method

•ZnO/MWCNT free-standing anodes were prepared by a novel spin coating method.•MWCNT buckypapers were used to prevent mechanical disintegration of anode material.•The effects of chelating agents on the properties of ZnO electrodes were researched.•ZnO/MWCNT/GLY free-standing electrode provided better capacity retention.•After 100 cycles, this anode showed as high as of 460 mAh g−1 discharge capacity.

Free standing zinc oxide (ZnO) and multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) nanocomposite materials are prepared by a sol gel technique giving a new high capacity anode material for lithium ion batteries. Free-standing ZnO/MWCNT nanocomposite anodes with two different chelating agent additives, triethanolamine (TEA) and glycerin (GLY), yield different electrochemical performances. Field emission gun scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses reveal the produced anode electrodes exhibit a unique structure of ZnO coating on the MWCNT surfaces. Li-ion cell assembly using a ZnO/MWCNT/GLY free-standing anode and Li metal cathode possesses the best discharge capacity, remaining as high as 460 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles. This core–shell structured anode can offer increased energy storage and performance over conventional anodes in Li-ion batteries.

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