Metal organic frameworks derived active functional groups decorated manganese monoxide for aqueous zinc ion battery

Engineering the elemental composition and structure of manganese-based cathode materials offer an effective strategy for the development of aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) with greatly enhanced specific capacity and good stability. In this work, a manganese monoxide (MnO) composite with MnO as the core and some organic intermediate with the active functional group as the outer layer was derived from Mn metal–organic framework (Mn-MOF). Benefiting from the unique structure, active functional groups, and the synergetic effect of core–shell, the obtained MnO-C display superior electrochemical performance, demonstrating specific capacity (727.7 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1) in the (CF3O3S)2Zn aqueous electrolyte and good rate performance (413.8 mAh g−1 at 1.0 A g−1), which is higher than that of MnO2 (331.7 mAh g−1) and commercial MnO (234.5 mAh g−1). Furthermore, the Zn-storage mechanism in MnO-C is systematically studied and discussed via multiple analytical methods. This work provides an idea for the development of electrochemical activation strategies for advanced cathodes of high-performance zinc ion batteries.