High-performance lithium-ion battery anode by direct growth of hierarchical ZnCo2O4 nanostructures on current collectors.

Hierarchical nanostructures that can be directly grown on a conducting substrate are a new trend in the design of active materials for high-performance lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). This article reports our design and fabrication of a 3D hierarchical ZnCo2O4 nanostructure (3D-ZCO-NS) directly grown on Ni foams. The goose-feather-like ZnCo2O4 bundled into a loose array structure with a large electrolyte contact area and good electrical and mechanical connection to the current collector. Electrochemical measurements confirmed the good performance of the electrode for reversible Li(+) storage (specific capacity of 932 mAh g(-1) in the 50th cycle at 1 A g(-1)) relative to a pasted electrode of 3D-ZCO-NSs (599 mAh g(-1) in the 50th cycle at 0.1 A g(-1)).