Facile and Scalable Synthesis of Zn3V2O7(OH)2·2H2O Microflowers as a High-Performance Anode for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

The employment of nanomaterials and nanotechnologies has been widely acknowledged as an effective strategy to enhance the electrochemical performance of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, how to produce nanomaterials effectively on a large scale remains a challenge. Here, the highly crystallized Zn3V2O7(OH)2·2H2O is synthesized through a simple liquid phase method at room temperature in a large scale, which is easily realized in industry. Through suppressing the reaction dynamics with ethylene glycol, a uniform morphology of microflowers is obtained. Owing to the multiple reaction mechanisms (insertion, conversion, and alloying) during Li insertion/extraction, the prepared electrode delivers a remarkable specific capacity of 1287 mA h g-1 at 0.2 A g-1 after 120 cycles. In addition, a high capacity of 298 mA h g-1 can be obtained at 5 A g-1 after 1400 cycles. The excellent electrochemical performance can be attributed to the high crystallinity and large specific surface area of active materials. The smaller particles after cycling could facilitate the lithium-ion transport and provide more reaction sites. The facile and scalable synthesis process and excellent electrochemical performance make this material a highly promising anode for the commercial LIBs.