Biomass-derived mesoporous carbons materials coated by α-Mn3O4 with ultrafast zinc-ion diffusion ability as cathode for aqueous zinc ion batteries

Biomass-derived mesoporous carbon materials (MCMs) with high specific surface area and pore volume were prepared from waste litchi shells using KOH activation method. Furthermore, the Mn3O4 particles were designed to coat the homemade MCM4 (WMCMs:WKOH=1:4), which exhibited enhanced electrochemical behavior as cathode materials for aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs). In addition, the diffusion coefficient of Zn2+ was calculated by cyclic voltammetry, revealing that the electrochemical process of a cell is affected by Zn2+ ions diffusion. The batteries exhibited an excellent cyclic performance through the effective synergy between Mn3O4 and MCM4, which provides a feasible scheme for the development of low-cost and eco-friendly cathode materials for AZIBs.