Electrospun synthesis and electrochemical property of zinc ferrite nanofibers

Abstract

In this study, zinc ferrite (ZnFe2O4) nanofibers were successfully fabricated by a combination of electrospinning and calcination process. Only peaks of ZnFe2O4 could be observed from X-ray diffractometry patterns, indicating that the formation of pure compound. SEM and TEM images showed the ZnFe2O4 nanofibers possessed good continuous fiber morphology with an average diameter of about 150 nm. Moreover, the lithium storage properties test showed that the ZnFe2O4 nanofibers possessed obviously improved electrochemical properties. It is demonstrated that ZnFe2O4 nanofibers electrode not only deliver a high initial discharge capacity of around 1248 mAh g−1, but also maintained a stable capacity of 625 mAh g−1 after 50 cycles. Meanwhile, the electrodes showed high capacity at higher discharge and charge rate. The excellent lithium storage properties of the ZnFe2O4 nanofibers electrode may be attributed to the high crystallinity, as well as the unique mesoporous and fibrous structures. In addition, the Zn product formed after the conversion reaction of ZnFe2O4 with lithium could further react with lithium to form ZnLix alloy, which could contribute additional capacity.