The excellent electrochemical performances of ZnMn2O4/Mn2O3: The composite cathode material for potential aqueous zinc ion batteries

A novel composite material of ZnMn2O4/Mn2O3 is fabricated via a facile surfactant-assisted solvothermal method, followed by an annealing process at 600 °C in air for 4 h. When further evaluated as a cathode for aqueous rechargeable zinc ion batteries (ARZIBs) for the first time, it delivers an initial discharge capacity of up to 82.6 mAh/g at 0.5 A/g just using 1 mol/L ZnSO4 as the electrolyte, and the amazing reversible capacity of 111.9 mAh/g can be achieved even after 300 cycles, much higher than the initial one. As the current density increases to 3.2 A/g, it also exhibits a high capacity as much as 42.1 mAh/g. The superior cycleability and remarkable rate performance are attributed to the synergistic effect, the ultrafast ion transportation characteristic and the smaller self-discharge phenomenon of ZnMn2O4 and Mn2O3. Thus, the work gives a new insight into developing new-type of cathode materials for large-scale application of ARZIBs with low cost, high safety and large power density.