A facile synthetic protocol to construct 1D Zn-Mn-Oxide nanostructures with tunable compositions for high-performance lithium storage

The synthesis of one-dimensional (1D) Zn-Mn-Oxide (ZMO) for lithium storage is an important research topic, since ZMO can potentially satisfy the ever-increasing demand on the high energy density, natural abundance and long lifespan of lithium ion batteries. Generally, the synthesis of 1D ZMO nanostructures relies on various templates. A facile construction of 1D ZMO nanostructures with tunable compositions via the same synthetic protocol remains a great challenge. Herein, two different Zn-Mn-Oxides of ZnMn2O4 and ZnMnO3 both with 1D rod morphology were successfully prepared via a simple co-precipitation reaction coupled with subsequent heat treatment. As the anode materials for lithium ion battery, both ZMO nanorods exhibit good lithium storage performances. Especially, ZnMn2O4 nanorods display superior electrochemical performances to ZnMnO3 nanorods, including higher discharge capacities of 1119.3 and 572.6 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C and 0.5 C, respectively and better cyclability with capacity retention of 80% after 300 cycles at 0.5 C. The improved electrochemical properties should be attributed to the porous and interparticle-bridging microstructures in ZnMn2O4 nanorods, which can offer better contact between electrolyte and anode and tolerate larger volume changes during discharge/charge process.