Tin doping manganese dioxide cathode materials with the improved stability for aqueous zinc-ion batteries

Manganese dioxide (MnO2), as a common positive electrode of zinc ion batteries, has attracted much attention because of its abundant reserve in nature, good safety and high theoretical capacity. However, its unstable structure and low conductivity make it have poor cycle stability as a water-based zinc ion battery. Defect engineering has become an effective method to improve cycle stability. Herein, tin doped manganese dioxide has been prepared. For the cathode materials of ZIBs, the capacity retention rate is about 80% after 500 cycles at 1 A g−1, which is higher than initial MnO2 cathode. The mechanism during the charging and discharging process is explored through the ex-situ XRD test. Theoretical and experimental results show that introducing Sn into MnO2 can enlarge interlayer spacing and improve conductivity, which can enhance its performance. And this work may provide some new ideas for improving the stability of manganese-based zinc-ion batteries.