Conductive flower-like Ni-PTA-Mn as cathode for aqueous zinc-ion batteries

• Hydrogen bonding network is responsible for the electrical conductivity of MOFs. • Ni-PTA-Mn has better discharge capacity and cycle stability than Ni-PTA. • Pseudo capacitance controlling mechanism plays a leading role in electrode reaction. Aqueous zinc-ion batteries are regarded as a novel scheme for the next generation of functional batteries due to their high safety and environment-friendly performance. Nevertheless, aqueous zinc-ion batteries suffer from poor cycling stability, which is mainly due to the poor structural stability and distortion of the electrode materials during charging and discharging. Herein, Ni-PTA-Mn, an organic metal framework porous material with a large specific surface area and conductive function, was directly synthesized by one-step hydrothermal method. When it was directly applied as the cathode of aqueous zinc-ion batteries, the batteries exhibited a discharge specific capacity of up to 139 mAh g −1 (0.1 A g −1 ) and an capacity retention rate of about 93% at 1 A g −1 (after 100 cycles). Outstanding electrochemical performance was mainly attributed to proton conductivity through the formation of H-bond networks inside the framework backbone.