Open Access Article
Guang-Hao Shih and
Wei-Ren Liu
*
Department of Chemical Engineering, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taiwan. E-mail: WRLiu1203@gmail.com
First published on 1st September 2017
A simple and rapid microwave-assisted hydrothermal (MH) method is used to synthesize spinel-based ZnCo2O4 anode material for Li-ion batteries. Microwaves provide a uniform and rapid formation of the oxide at a low temperature of 190 °C for a short reaction time of 15 minutes. The crystallinity, pore size distribution, surface morphology and characteristics, crystal structure, surface morphologies and electrochemical properties of ZnCo2O4 (ZCO) are carried out by using X-diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), cyclic voltammetry, impedance and cyclic performance, respectively. The initial discharge capacity of microwave-ZCO (M-400) is 1510 mA h g−1, at a current rate of 100 mA g−1. After 30 cycles, the M-400 sample delivers a reversible capacity as high as 1334 mA h g−1 at 100 mA g−1. For 10C tests, M-400 demonstrates a capacity of more than 605 mA h g−1, which is superior to that of conventional ZCO samples synthesized by hydrothermal reaction (C-400). In subsequent cycles, the capacity of M-400 recovers to 1664 mA h g−1 with the current density back to 0.1C and the diffusivity was higher than C-400 by ∼18 times. The comparable high capacity of the MH method indicates that it could be a viable route to easily synthesize spinel oxides.
According to the previous studies, several modification routines can be concluded as follows to improve electrochemical performance of ZnCo2O4 such as porous nanostructures (nanotubes,31 nanoflakes,32,36 nanowires,34,37 nanorods,38 3D nanoparticles39 and flower-like40,41), metal elements doping42–46 and so on. The nanostructures can lead to improve the electrochemical performance of anode materials with higher porosity, nano size, free space and higher specific surface area because those could not only decrease the diffusion lengths but also increase the active sites for Li+ insertion or extraction reactions. The metal elements doping method can improve the electronic conductivity and increase capacities. Another approach for ZCO modification is by carbon coating, which means coating or supporting spinel cubic ZnCo2O4 with various organic or non-organic carbon. The carbonaceous materials can provide better electronic conductivity and more stable cycle life. In addition to those, it can also buffer the volume expansion during Li+ insertion and extraction processes.
Typically, large amount literature about ZnCo2O4 are synthesized by hydrothermal method. However, the disadvantage of conventional hydrothermal (CH) method is that it needs to take long time of reaction, wastes a lot of energy47–54 and some Li+ diffusion problems which will cause worse electrochemical preference such as voltage hysteresis and spinel broken spinel lattice. Contradictorily, we must to devote more energy to synthesize the alternative materials for energy storages. In addition, the heat transfers via conduction so compounds are heated with temperature gradient of problems. It is easier to lead materials' quality not to be uniform. Microwave irradiation that exhibits advantages, low power cost and rapid reaction time, engages our attention as a novel heating way for synthesizing nanomaterials even can produces better materials.48 In this century, MH method has been becoming a more and more popular method for nanomaterial synthesis.
In this study, we propose a rapid microwave-assisted hydrothermal method to obtain ZCO anode materials. Microwave ZCO not only exhibit excellent electrochemical performance but also has lower impedance of resistance to charge transfer that decreases voltage hysteresis compared to conventional hydrothermal ZCO. Our previous work studied temperature effects and doping effects on ZnCo2O4.30,55 This time, we propose an economic microwave-assisted synthesis method to prepare the novel flower-like ZnCo2O4 and compared the two samples that was synthesized through MH and CH method.
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1 in volume ratio). The discharge/charge test were analysed by AcuTech System in the voltage range of 0.01–3.5 V at room temperature. The mass loading of these sample is ∼2.4 mg cm−2. The cyclic voltammograms (CV) were measured by CH Instruments Analyser CHI 6273E at a scan rate of 0.001 mV s−1 between 0.01 V and 3.5 V, then tested the AC impedance in the frequency range from 1–100
000 Hz in litigation state of 0.001 V.
cos
θ, where κ is shape factor, β is the line broadening at half the maximum intensity, and cos
θ is the Bragg angle, the grain size of the products was calculated with the full width at half maximum of diffraction peak (311). All the calculated average grain size of M-400 and C-400 was calculated to be about 20.4 nm and 31.3 nm, respectively. The crystal size of ZnCo2O4 via MH was smaller than that of ZnCo2O4 via CH so it was expected the ZnCo2O4 via MH may demonstrate better electrochemical performances.
Fig. 2 shows the SEM images of M-400 and C-400 samples. All of them gave porous nature, especially M-400. It can be clearly seen from Fig. 2(b) that the structure consists of ZnCo2O4 uniform flower-like nanoparticles with diameters of 15–20 nm. In contrast with M-400, the structure of C-400 seemed spherical nanoparticles with larger diameters of 45–60 nm shown in Fig. 2(c) and that resulted from inconsistent heating via CH method. Thanks to porosity, ZnCo2O4 via MH method showed the great electrochemical performances. It was good for enhancing Li+ intercalation and diffusion into the spinel lattice. Fig. 2(d) shows elements of only Zn, Co and O detected from ZnCo2O4 nanostructure, showing evidence of pure phase ZnCo2O4 in our study. Fig. 3(a)–(d) shows the EDS mapping the results, indicated that the elements Zn, Co and O were homogeneously distributed all over the structure.
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| Fig. 2 SEM images of ZnCo2O4 samples: (a) M-400; high magnification of (b) M-400; (c) C-400 and (d) EDS analysis. | ||
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| Fig. 3 (a)–(d) EDS mapping of as-prepared ZnCo2O4; (e) TEM (inset: the corresponding SAED pattern); (f) HRTEM images of M-400. | ||
TEM images of M-400 are shown in Fig. 3(e) and (f). Fig. 3(e) indicates that the size of flower-like particles are about 10–20 nm. It was similar to SEM images shown in Fig. 2(b). The SAED pattern shown in inset of Fig. 3(e) could be well indexed by (111), (220), (311), (400) and (511) to the standard cubic spinel ZnCo2O4, respectively. As shown in Fig. 3(f), the apparent lattice spacing indicates the good crystallinity of flower-like M-400 with an interlayer distance of 2.34 Å in local domain.
The specific surface areas and pore size distribution of ZnCo2O4 nanoparticles are characterized by BET analysis using nitrogen adsorption–desorption. The unique flower-like nanostructures were expected to have larger pore sizes and high specific surface area. As shown in Fig. 4, deduced from the desorption branch based on the BJH method, ZnCo2O4 was fourth type of gas adsorption isotherms according to IUPAC classifications of hysteresis loops37,56 and the pore size of M-400 was calculated to be about 8.97 nm. The pore sizes, shown in Fig. 4(a). In other hand, Fig. 4(b) shows there are two pore sizes of C-400 owing to inconsistent heating. It could be seen that the specific surface areas of M-400 and C-400 were about 48.8 m2 g−1 and 52.9 m2 g−1, respectively. According to previous studies,13,35 the lattice parameters and BET surface area of other compounds displayed in Table 1. It shows that M-400 gives the smallest particle size and had shorter Li+ diffusion distance. Such competitive BET value could be attributable to the unique structure of the flower-like nanoparticles.
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| Fig. 4 N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms and BJH pore size distributions of (a) M-400 and (b) C-400. | ||
| Compounds | Morphology | Lattice constants (Å) | Particle size (nm) | Surface area (m2 g−1) | 1st C/D capacities (mA h g−1) | 50th discharge capacity (mA h g−1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M-400 (this study) | Flower-like | 8.1 | 10–20 | 48.8 | 1511/1220 | 1373 (0.2 A g−1) |
| ZCO35 | Spherical | 8.1 | 10–20 | 11.5 | 1400/960 | N/A |
| ZCO57 | Hollow | N/A | 250–300 | 25.0 | NA/1442 | 600 (3 A g−1) |
| ZCO@C57 | Yolk–shell | N/A | 50–80 | 20.0 | NA/1409 | 700 (3 A g−1) |
| ZCO@PPy/SA58 | Lychee-like | N/A | 250 | 36.2 | NA/NA | 590 (0.1 A g−1) |
| ZCO/ZnO59 | Nanoplate-like | N/A | 630–800 | 60.3 | 1599/1071 | N/A |
| ZCO/ZnO/C42 | Core/shell | 8.1 | 800 | 27.9 | 1279/974 | 800 (0.5 A g−1) |
The cyclic voltammograms of ZnCo2O4 samples at a scan rate of 0.1 mV s−1 in 0.005–3.5 V are shown in Fig. 5. According to the previous study, we believed that the Li+ insertion and extraction reactions for the ZnCo2O4 electrode proceed as follows:60
| ZnCo2O4 + 8Li+ + 8e− → Zn + 2Co + 4Li2O | (1) |
| Zn + Li+ + e− ↔ LiZn | (2) |
| Zn + Li2O ↔ ZnO + 2Li+ + 2e− | (3) |
| 2Co + 2Li2O ↔ 2CoO + 4Li+ + 4e− | (4) |
| 2CoO + 2/3Li2O ↔ 2/3Co3O4 + 4/3Li+ + 4/3e− | (5) |
With the above electrochemical process, the cyclic voltammetry test (CV) and charge/discharge test can be discussed clearly below.
Fig. 5(a) shows the CVs of M-400 and C-400 in the first second cycles. It was obvious that the M-400 had a larger curve area and special current of higher redox peaks than the C-400. It was convinced that ZnCo2O4 prepared with MH method had a higher capacity and a faster kinetics for oxidation and reduction. Moreover, this was learned from the results of charge/discharge tests. The reduction peak in the first cycle shows an intense irreversible reaction at ∼0.55 V in the first cathodic process because of the decomposition of ZnCo2O4 to Zn0 and Co0 according to eqn (1) with the formation of a solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). In the voltage range of 0.005–1.0 V, the absence of well-defined peaks in the CV and voltage plateaus in the voltage–capacity profiles corresponding to the oxidation/reduction of Zn according to eqn (2).19,61 In previous study,35 we can see that similar potential also appeared the reduction peak because of the same reason. According to report from Reddy et al.,27 optimum specific surface area, morphology and defect-free crystal structure of ZnCo2O4 would impact on formation of SEI. Compared with the discharge of the second cycle which could be ascribed to the alleviation of electrode polarization, the peaks found at ∼0.7 V, indicative of different electrochemical reactions occurs at two process. However, oxidation peaks at ∼1.7 V and 2.2 V in the anodic polarization, which could be attributed to the oxidation of Zn0 to Zn2+ and Co0 to Co3+ (eqn (3)–(5)) respectively. Addition to oxidation peaks at ∼0.25 V, the reaction is resulted from graphitic material or LiZn alloy.62 From the previous data, we knew our mechanisms for M-400 and C-400 are the same as previous study.
Fig. 6(a) shows charge/discharge curves of M-400 at current density of 0.1C in the voltage range of 0.01–3.5 V in the first three cycles. It could clearly be observed that a plateau at ∼0.5 V was in the first charging process. For the second and third cycles, the plateau shifts to ∼1.25 V and became steeper, which was in consist with the CV results shown in Fig. 5(a). The initial charge and discharge capacity were 1511 and 1220 mA h g−1, respectively. The coulombic efficiency in the first cycle was as high as 80.8%. The irreversible capacity loss in the first cycle was ∼16.3%, which was associated with the formation of SEI film. Because of the reduction of solvents in the electrolyte, crystal structure would destruct to format SEI film and Li+ was consumed to cause capacity loss.63,64 In addition, it maybe the nanostructure was changed in Li+ diffusion process.27,64 This might be a result of the volume variations and crystal structure modifications during cycling.64 The second discharge cycle and third discharge cycle were 1264 and 1277 mA h g−1 and the charge/discharge curves all most overlap, indicating the great reversibility electrochemical properties of M-400 and the result well matched with the CV results. As shown Fig. 6(b), the initial discharge capacity of C-400 is 1438 mA h g−1, respectively. Irreversible capacity loss in the first cycle was ∼22.2%, respectively. It took advantage of MH method to turn into the smaller crystal size and good for the electrochemical performances.
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| Fig. 6 (a) First three cycles discharge/charge curves of M-400; (b) first cycle discharge/charge curves of M-400 and C-400. | ||
Fig. 7(a) shows the cycling performance of M-400 and C-400 at current density of 0.2C. Clearly, it could be observed the initial discharge capacity of C-400 was the highest one, 1410 mA h g−1, of all samples but it was declining after 10 cycles. Compared to C-400, the discharge of capacity indicated that the capacity of M-400 not only did not decline but also increased, exhibited the better cycling performance. After 45 cycles, the reversible capacities of M-400 and C-400 are 1411, and 217 mA h g−1, respectively. According to the previous study,39,65 the reversible capacity slightly, in addition, increased with cycling and remained above 1000 mA h g−1 at after 45 cycles at current density of 0.2C. At all samples, it might be attributed to the largest porosity of nanoparticle structure to cause capacity of M-400 to remain the higher capacity and good retention. The XRD and the BET resulted shown in Fig. 1 and 4, the smaller crystal size and higher surface area of M-400 provided Li-ion the shorter diffusion distance and enhanced to contact areas between the electrolyte and ZnCo2O4, exhibited better capacity retained ability than other samples.
As shown in Fig. 7(b), the cycling performance of M-400 and C-400 at different current densities from 0.1C to 10C. The average discharge capacity of C-400 decreases from 1345, 461, 44 to 13 mA h g−1 with increasing the current densities from 0.1C, 1C, 5C, and 10C, whereas the average discharge capacity of M-400 was 605 mA h g−1 at the current density of 10C. In the subsequent cycles, the capacity recovered to 1665 mA h g−1 with the current density back to 0.1C, even higher than original capacity. Clearly, the samples via MH method delivered higher discharge capacity than one via CH method at all tested current densities. Thanks to flower-like nano-structure, Li-ion could be easier to pass through in diffusion process and it made sure that the cycling stability and rate capability were better than one in CH method. Fig. 7(c) demonstrated that the coulombic efficiency of M-400 in the 180 cycles closed to 100% efficiency indicating its great cyclic ability. Obviously, the reversible capacity of M-400 could be maintaining to ∼630 mA h g−1 after 180 cycles which was ∼1.7 times than that of graphite anode.
The result of AC impedance is investigated to understand the kinetics that influences the performances toward lithium after charging at the third cycle shown in Fig. 7. The diameters of the semicircles for M-400 and C-400 are 144 Ω and 485 Ω, respectively. M-400 exhibited the lowest impedance that went toward diffusion process. In order to learn the major contribution of impedance in these the samples. It could be analyzed with a typical equivalent circuit shown in the inset in Fig. 7(e). Herein, R1, RSEI, RCT and Ws were impedances resulted from electrolyte, SEI film, charge transfer and Warburg impedance61 of ZnCo2O4, respectively. Some of the corresponding fitting data were displayed in Table 2. Comparing to samples, R1 and RSEI values were almost close since impedance of interface between electrode and electrolyte were similar. Obviously, the dramatic difference in impedance was charge transfer resistance. The RCT of M-400 and C-400 are 79.5 Ω and 419.2 Ω, respectively. According to fitting data, the RCT was increasing by higher annealing temperature and ZnCo2O4 via MH method exhibited smaller impedance than one via CH method. This indicated that microwave heating was favorable to improve the conductivity of ZnCo2O4, and then led to the improvement of electrochemical properties. Besides, the porous characteristic was good for the reaction kinetics and diffusion of Li ion. Further details on equivalent electrical circuit notations are discussed by Reddy et al.61,64,66 Ws is associated with the solid state diffusion of Li-ion through the ZnCo2O4 lattice. The Li+ diffusion coefficient can be calculated by the following equation.67
![]() | (6) |
500 C mol−1), and C is the concentration of lithium ions (0.001 mol cm−3). According to the eqn (6), diffusion coefficients of lithium among M-400 and C-400 were calculated to be 4.6 × 10−11 cm2 s−1 and 2.5 × 10−12 cm2 s−1, respectively. Obviously, diffusivity of Li+ in M-400 was much higher than that of C-400.
| ZnCo2O4 | R1 (Ω) | RSEI (Ω) | RCT (Ω) | σw | D (cm2 s−1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M-400 | 4.8 | 60.0 | 79.5 | 4.5 | 4.6 × 10−11 |
| C-400 | 3.8 | 62.8 | 419.1 | 19.3 | 2.5 × 10−12 |
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