Modulating electronic structure of metal-organic frameworks derived zinc manganates by oxygen vacancies for superior lithium storage

Electronic structure manipulation of transition metal oxides in crystal lattices renders as a prevailing methodology for high-performance Lithium-ion battery (LIB) electrodes. Thereinto, oxygen defective oxides can self-adaptively regulate the electronic property and active sites to reconcile the subpar electronic conductivity and substantial volume fluctuation. Herein, a conceptual protocol for constructing oxygen vacancies enriched ZnMn2O4 derived from various Zn-Mn-based Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) is proposed as versatile anode materials towards lithium storage. Experimental implementation and theoretical calculation systematically unravel that the enriched OV is conducive to boosted electronic conductivity, extra active sites, preferable Li+ adsorption, and accelerated diffusion kinetics of OV-ZMOs. As expected, all the OV-ZMOs derived from dicarboxybenzene-, tricarboxybenzene-, and isonicotinic-based Zn-Mn-MOFs (BDC-OV-ZMO, BTC-OV-ZMO, and IN-OV-ZMO) achieve exalted electrochemical performance with superior specific capacity, distinguished rate capacity, and pre-eminent cyclability. This work envisions a conceptual vacancy protocol for MOF-derived electrode materials for LIBs.