Surfactant-mediated synthesis of ZnCo2O4 powders as a high-performance anode material for Li-ion batteries

The synthesis as well as the electrochemical properties study of highly crystalline ZnCo2O4 powders is presented. ZnCo2O4 powders with a particle diameter of 15–35 nm have been successfully prepared with the surfactant-mediated method. The thorough structural characterization including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were employed to examine the morphology and the microstructure of the final product. The as-synthesized powders were used as anode materials for lithium-ion battery, whose charge–discharge properties, cyclic voltammetry, and cycle performance were examined and revealed very good properties. Galvanostatic cycling of ZnCo2O4 powders in the voltage range 0.005–3.0 V versus Li at 60 mA g−1 maintained charge and discharge capacities of 1,308 and 1,336 mAh g−1 after 40 cycles when cycled at 25 °C, respectively.