Coral-like carbon skeleton for aqueous zinc-ion batteries MnO2 cathode material

Rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have attracted significant attention in the field of energy storage due to their high theoretical capacity, low toxicity, excellent safety performance, low cost, and affordability. As the cathode material of AZIBs, MnO2 boasts advantages such as cost-effectiveness and low environmental impact. However, it still exhibits certain limitations such as inadequate conductivity and compromised structural stability. In this work, a coral-like carbon skeleton (CCS) was designed to stabilize the electrochemical properties of the MnO2 cathode by growing the MnO2 on the surface of CCS. It is found that CCS@MnO2 exhibits notable advantages in terms of stable cycling performance and high specific capacity. This material exhibits an approximate 100% coulombic efficiency after 500 cycles when subjected to a current density of 1.0 A g(-1). The CCS support significantly enhanced the performance of AZIBs and rendering it highly appealing for diverse range of energy applications.