Controlled synthesis of hollow octahedral ZnCo2O4 nanocages assembled from ultrathin 2D nanosheets for enhanced lithium storage.

Hollow octahedral ZnCo2O4 nanocages assembled from ultrathin 2D nanosheets are prepared through facile fast simultaneous coordinating etching and thermal processes. Electrochemical results show that the hollow octahedral ZnCo2O4 nanocage is an outstanding anode material for LIBs with a high reversible discharge capacity of 1025 mA h g-1 at 500 mA g-1 after 200 cycles, and an outstanding rate capability of 525 mA h g-1 at 4 A g-1. Moreover, this simple, low cost and fast process could be useful for the construction of many other hollow advanced materials for supercapacitors, sensors and other novel energy and environmental applications.