Spinel ZnMn2O4 Nanocrystal‐Anchored 3D Hierarchical Carbon Aerogel Hybrids as Anode Materials for Lithium Ion Batteries

To improve the electrochemical performance of spinel ZnMn 2 O 4 , i.e., its limited specific capacity, cycling performance, and rate properties, owing to its inherent poor electrical conductivity and large volume changes during lithiation and delithiation processes, spinel ZnMn 2 O 4 nanocrystals are anchored into a three dimensional (3D) porous carbon aerogel (CA) through a facile solution immersion chemical route. The designed 3D spinel ZnMn 2 O 4 /CA hybrids display the advantages of both spinel ZnMn 2 O 4 and porous CA: enormous interfacial surface area, connected 3D framework, abundant porosity and high electron transport properties of CA, and electrochemical properties of nanostructured spinel ZnMn 2 O 4 oxide materials. The synthesized novel ZnMn 2 O 4 /CA hybrids display a significantly improved electrochemical performance, with a high reversible specific capacity, and high‐rate capability, as well as an excellent cycling performance, superior to that of previously reported ZnMn 2 O 4 ‐based materials. After 50 cycles, the 50%ZnMn 2 O 4 /CA hybrid displays a reversible capacity of 833 mAh g −1 at a current density of 100 mAg ‐1 , much higher than the theoretical capacity of 784 mAh g −1 for pure spinel ZnMn 2 O 4 materials, corresponding to a Coulombic efficiency of 99.9%. The greatly improved cycle stability, specific capacity, and high rate performance of the ZnMn 2 O 4 /CA hybrids can be attributed to the synergistic interaction between spinel‐structured ZnMn 2 O 4 nanoparticles and the 3D interconnected porous CA matrix.