Preparation and electrochemical performance study of ZnMn2O4@Corn stalk carbon composites

Abstract

Zinc-manganese-based transition metal oxides have become an important research direction for anode materials in lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries due to their high theoretical capacity and low cost. However, issues such as volume fragmentation inevitably arise during the charging and discharging processes of the batteries. This study is the first to systematically introduce corn straw–derived carbon (CSC) into the ZnMn₂O₄ system. By varying the solvothermal treatment duration, the effect of treatment time on the electrochemical performance of ZnMn₂O₄@CSC (ZMO@CSC) was analyzed. We also evaluated the electrochemical performance of ZMO@CSC in both lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries. The results show that ZMO@CSC treated for 28 h via solvothermal synthesis exhibits the best performance. In the lithium-ion battery, ZMO@CSC-28 retains a high specific capacity of 993.7 mA h g^-1 after 100 cycles at a 0.2 C(1 C = 784 mA g^-1) rate. In the sodium-ion battery, at a high rate of 2 C༈1 C = 558 mA g^-1༉, ZMO@CSC-28 maintains a specific capacity of 270.6 mA h g^-1 after 3500 ultra-long cycles, demonstrating excellent cycling stability. This provides a feasible pathway for the development of low-cost, high-performance, and highly stable lithium/sodium battery materials.