A Facile Synthesis of Urchin‐Like ZnMn2O4 Architectures with Enhanced Electrochemical Lithium Storage

Abstract As conversion material, ZnMn 2 O 4 has a high theoretical specific capacity as an anode for Lithium‐ion batteries. This paper has designed a facile method to prepare urchin‐like ZnMn 2 O 4 architectures with high quality and well crystallinity. The resultant urchin‐like ZnMn 2 O 4 architectures exhibit high discharge capacity and excellent cycling stability. The initial discharge capacity of urchin‐like ZnMn 2 O 4 architectures is 1167 mAh g −1 at 0.4 A g −1 and the electrode materials could maintain high reversible capacity of 889 mAh g −1 after 150 cycles. Even in the high current density of 1 A g −1 , the electrode of urchin‐like ZnMn 2 O 4 can keep a high reversible capacity of 578 mAh g −1 after 300 cycles. The improved electrochemical performance can be ascribed to the urchin‐like architectures of the as‐prepared ZnMn 2 O 4 , which could be conducive to the transmission of lithium ions and electrons and provide sufficient void spaces to tolerate the volume change during the Li + intercalation. These results revealed that as‐prepared urchin‐like ZnMn 2 O 4 architectures would be a promising anode for high performance Lithium‐ion batteries.