Cetyl trimethyl ammonium cation expanded NiZn-layered double hydroxide with improved lithium storage property

Abstract

Exploring new electrode materials with high specific capacity, low cost, and easy preparation is crucial for the development of next-generation lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Herein, a cetyl trimethyl ammonium cation (CTA+) inserted NiZn-layer double hydroxide (NZH) was prepared by a facile hydrothermal approach. The insertion of CTA+ expands the interlayer distance of NZH from 9.27 to 18.05 Å, accompanied by the formation of a more open nanosheet-like morphology. Particularly, this CTA+ inserted NZH (NZH-C) exhibits a high reversible capacity of 828.8 mA h g−1 after 200 cycles at 0.5 A g−1, far higher than the corresponding capacity (186.2 mA h g−1) of pure NZH; at a relatively high current density of 3.0 A g−1, the NZH-C sample still maintains a reversible capacity of 527.8 mA h g−1. In addition, the NZH-C sample presents an obvious pseudocapacitance effect during the charging and discharging processes; compared with pure NZH, the NZH-C shows a much lower electrochemical reaction resistance, higher lithium diffusivity, and smaller polarization effect. The present work provides a facile and efficient strategy for regulating the interlayer structure and optimizing the lithium storage performance of nickel-based LDH anode materials.