Metal-organic-framework derived Zn-V-based oxide with charge storage mechanism as high-performance anode material to enhance lithium and sodium storage

Transition metal oxides have been extensively studied due to their large theoretical capacities, but their practical application has been hampered by low electrical conductivity and dramatic volume fluctuation during cycling. In this work, we synthesized Zn3V2O8 material using Zn-V-MOF (metal-organic framework) as a sacrificial template to improve the electrochemical characteristics of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). Unique dodecahedral structure, larger specific surface area and higher ability to mitigate volume changes, improve the electrochemical reaction active site while accelerating ion transport. Zn3V2O8 with 2-methylimidazole as a ligand demonstrated a discharge capacity of 1225.9 mAh/g in LIBs and 761.6 mAh/g in SIBs after 300 cycles at 0.2 C. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation illustrates the smaller diffusion barrier energy and higher specific capacity in LIBs that is ascribed to the fact that Li has a smaller size and hence its diffusion is easier. This study may lead to a path for the manufacturing of high-performance LIBs and SIBs.