Indium-doped nanoflower structures are used as zinc-manganese aqueous batteries to achieve high specific capacity

In aqueous zinc-ion batteries, manganese dioxide is considered a promising cathode material due to its abundant source, environmental friendliness, high specific capacity, and large theoretical charge storage capacity. delta-MnO 2 a layered structure of manganese dioxide, is particularly notable. However, during charging and discharging of the battery, the capacity decreases due to the collapse of its layered structure and limitations in conductivity. In order to solve this key problem, this paper synthesizes In 3+ doped delta-MnO 2 using a one-step hydrothermal method, this approach mitigates the collapse of the layered structure caused by cycling and maintains the stability of the capacity. The Zn 2+ /H + co-intercalation mechanism is verified by experimental results and ex-situ Xray diffraction (XRD), further validating that In 3+ doping mitigates the collapse of the layered structure and enhances the electrical conductivity. Remarkably, the nanoflower structure remains clearly visible after 300 cycles. When assessed at 0.2 A g-1 , the ZIB employing In- delta-MnO 2 demonstrated a specific capacity of 390 mA h g-1 , and after 300 cycles, it retained 90.3 % of its initial capacity. This study introduces a novel approach to designing and optimizing ion-doped cathode materials for manganese-based zinc-ion batteries, while also contributing to research on related storage mechanisms.