Cite this article as: |
Hangtian Zhu, Cong Chen, Minjie Shi, Jintian Jiang, Liping Zhao, and Chao Yan, Synergistically coupling of graphene quantum dots with Zn-intercalated MnO2 cathode for high-performance aqueous Zn-ion batteries, Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater.,(2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-022-2441-4 |
Cost effective, safe and highly performing energy storage devices require rechargeable batteries and among various options, aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) have shown high promise in this regard. As a cathode material for the aqueous ZIBs, manganese dioxide (MnO2) has been found to be promising but certain drawbacks of this cathode material are slow charge-transfer capability and poor cycling performance. Herein, a novel design of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) integrated with Zn-intercalated MnO2 nanosheets is put forward to construct a 3D nanoflower-like GQDs@ZnxMnO2 composite cathode for aqueous ZIBs. The synergistically coupling of GQDs modification with Zn intercalation provides abundant active sites and conductive medium to facilitate the ion/electron transmission, as well as ensure the GQDs@ZnxMnO2 composite cathode with enhanced charge-transfer capability and high electrochemical reversibility, which are elucidated by experiment results and in-situ Raman investigation. These impressive properties endow the GQDs@ZnxMnO2 composite cathode with superior aqueous Zn2+ storage capacity (~403.6 mAh g-1), excellent electrochemical kinetics and good structural stability. For actual applications, the fabricated aqueous ZIBs can deliver a substantial energy density (226.8 Wh kg-1), a remarkable power density (650 W kg-1), and long-term cycle performance, further stimulating their potential application as the efficient electrochemical storage devices for various energy-related fields.