Synergistic Interactions of Different Electroactive Components for Superior Lithium Storage Performance.

The fusion of different electroactive components of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) sometimes brings exceptional electrochemical properties. We herein report the reduced graphene-oxide (rGO)-coated ZnSnO@NiO nanofibers (ZSO@NiO@G NFs) formed by the synergistic fusion of three different electroactive components including ZnO, SnO, and NiO that exhibit exceptional electrochemical properties as negative electrodes for LIBs. The simple synthetic route comprised of electrospinning and calcination processes enables to form porous one-dimensional (1D) structured ZSO, which is the atomic combination between ZnO and SnO, exhibiting effective strain relaxation during battery operation. Furthermore, the catalytic effect of Ni converted from the surface-functional NiO nanolayer on ZSO significantly contributes to improved reversible capacity. Finally, rGO sheets formed on the surface of ZSO@NiO NFs enable to construct electrically conductive path as well as a stable SEI layer, resulting in excellent electrochemical performances. Especially, exceptional cycle lifespan of more than 1600 cycles with a high capacity (1060 mAh g) at a high current density (1000 mA g), which is the best result among mixed transition metal oxide (stannates, molybdates, cobaltates, ferrites, and manganates) negative electrodes for LIBs, is demonstrated.