Nitrogen-containing bimetal oxides derived from cobalt-zinc MOF as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

Spherical, controlled-morphology porous nitrogen-containing bimetal oxides (CoO–ZnO@NC-450) were produced. Firstly, the spherical CoZn-BTC@NC precursor with nanoparticles on the surface was prepared by hydrothermal method with 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid as ligand, Co2+ and Zn2+ as metal sources, and polyvinyl pyrrolidone and urea solution with a concentration of 0.1 mol/L added. Then, various nitrogen-containing bimetallic oxide composites were created by calcining the metal–organic framework precursor at 350, 450, and 550 °C in an argon environment. When used as anode material, CoO–ZnO@NC-450 exhibited high cycle stability; at a current density of 0.2 A g−1, its initial discharge specific capacity was 975.2 mAh g−1, and remained at 796.2 mAh g−1 and after 100 cycles.