Porous cubic MnCo2O4 as a high-performance cathode material for aqueous zinc-ion batteries

Designing multifunctional cathode materials is essential to address the critical issues of poor cycle stability and sluggish reaction kinetics in the aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs). Here, the spinel-type bimetallic MnCo2O4 with a porous, layered, irregular cubic structure was synthesized using hydrothermal method, which was employed as a cathode material for high performance AZIBs. The design strategy involving bimetallic oxides offers more electrochemically active sites than monometallic oxides. Simultaneously, the unique porous structure of MnCo2O4 facilitates faster ions and electrons transport, which alleviates the problems of volume expansion and structural collapse that occurring in the cathode material during cycling. As a result, the MnCo2O4 electrode exhibits superior zinc storage performance with a high reversible specific capacity of 332.1 mAh g−1 and excellent cycle stability after 65 cycles at a current density of 0.3 A g−1.