Facile in situ synthesis of PEDOT conductor interface at the surface of MnO2 cathodes for enhanced aqueous zinc-ion batteries

MnO2 is a type of ideal cathode material for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) owing to reasonable price, innocuity, and environmental friendliness. Nevertheless, it plagued by the dissolution of manganese ions and poor electrical conductivity. Therefore, designing and fabricating high-performance MnO2 based cathode materials are essential for the development of ZIBs. In this work, poly(3,4-ethoxylenedioxythiophene) coated MnO2 (MnO2@PEDOT) is in situ fabricated by mixing 3,4-ethoxylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) and KMnO4 solution to restrain the dissolution of manganese ions, enhance the electronic conductivity and structural stability. As a result, MnO2@PEDOT composite possesses superior electrochemical performance. An outstanding capacity of 242 mA h g–1 at 0.2 A g–1 was reached, and eminent long-term stable cycling performance above 1000 cycles with the capacity retentions of 85.1% at 2 A g–1 was achieved. This study demonstrated a facile in situ synthesis strategy of MnO2@PEDOT, and it showed a promising potential for practical application.