The stereo-microstructure of ZnO affects the lithium storage capacity of Li₂ZnTi₃O₈ anode materials

ZnO materials with multidimensional stereoscopic morphologies were synthesized via a one-step solvothermal process with water, ethanol and acetone as solvents. In this work, well-prepared ZnO was used as a Zn source for preparing pristine Li₂ZnTi₃O₈ anode materials for the first time by a facile solid-state method. The resulting Li₂ZnTi₃O₈ electrode material with rice-shaped ZnO as the zinc source (LZTO-E) possessed a smaller particle size and larger specific surface area, which were conducive to increase the electrochemical reaction area. Impressively, the LZTO-E electrode showed an excellent electrochemical performance with large discharge capacity (253.4 mA h g^-1 at 100 mA g^-1) and good cycling stability (175 mA h g^-1, 133.4 mA h g^-1, and 115.0 mA h g^-1 at 1000 mA g^-1, 2000 mA g^-1, and 5000 mA g^-1 after 500 cycles, respectively). This superior electrochemical performance of the as-synthesized Li₂ZnTi₃O₈ was attributed to the specific microtopography of ZnO.