title: In-Situ Crafting of ZnFe₂O₄ Nanoparticles Impregnated within Continuous Carbon Network as Advanced Anode Materials.
abstract: The ability to create a synergistic effect of nanostructure engineering and its hybridization with conductive carbonaceous material is highly desirable for attaining high-performance lithium ion batteries (LIBs). Herein, we judiciously crafted ZnFe2O4/carbon nanocomposites composed of ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles with an average size of 16 ± 5 nm encapsulated within the continuous carbon network as anode materials for LIBs. Such intriguing nanocomposites were yielded in situ via the pyrolysis-induced carbonization of polystyrene@poly(acrylic acid) (PS@PAA) core@shell nanospheres in conjunction with the formation of ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles through the thermal decomposition of ZnFe2O4 precursors incorporated within the PS@PAA nanospheres. By systematically varying the ZnFe2O4 content in the ZnFe2O4/carbon nanocomposites, the nanocomposite containing 79.3 wt % ZnFe2O4 was found to exhibit an excellent rate performance with high capacities of 1238, 1198, 1136, 1052, 926, and 521 mAh g(-1) at specific currents of 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000, and 5000 mA g(-1), respectively. Moreover, cycling performance of the ZnFe2O4/carbon nanocomposite with 79.3 wt % ZnFe2O4 at specific currents of 200 mA g(-1) delivered an outstanding prolonged cycling stability for several hundred cycles.
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States.
authors.forename: Beibei
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States.
authors.forename: Cuiping
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States.
authors.forename: Yanjie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States.
authors.forename: Zhiqun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lin
keywords: ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles; advanced anode; continuous carbon network; lithium-ion batteries