The fabrication and characterization of Zn5(CO3)2(OH)6 as a new anode material for lithium ion batteries

•Zn5(CO3)2(OH)6 microflakes are fabricated via a NaF aided method.•the Zn5(CO3)2(OH)6 is thermally stable up to 200 °C.•the Zn5(CO3)2(OH)6 shows potential application in Li-ion batteries.

Zinc carbonate hydroxide, Zn5(CO3)2(OH)6 is successfully prepared via a facile hydrothermal method, which shows flaky morphology with diameter of several micrometers and mean thickness of 200 nm. The Zn5(CO3)2(OH)6 is thermal stable below 200 °C, which gradually decomposes into ZnO in temperature region 210–450 °C. The electrochemical property of the as-prepared Zn5(CO3)2(OH)6 micro-flakes as a new anode material for lithium ion batteries is firstly studied, which exhibits obvious voltage plateaus and stable cycle performance, endowing it with potential application in lithium ion batteries.

Graphical abstractZn5(CO3)2(OH)6 micro-flakes were successfully prepared, which show potential application as anode for lithium ion batteries.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide