Porous lithium cobalt oxide fabricated from metal-organic frameworks as a high-rate cathode for lithium-ion batteries

Porous materials have many applications, such as energy storage, as catalysts and adsorption etc. Nevertheless, facile synthesis of porous materials remains a challenge. In this work, porous lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO₂) is fabricated directly from Co-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs, ZIF-67) and lithium salt via a facile solid state annealing approach. The temperature affect on the microstructure of LiCoO₂ is also investigated. The as-prepared LiCoO₂ shows a uniform porous structure. As a cathode for a lithium-ion battery (LIB), the LiCoO₂ delivers excellent stability and superior rate capability. The as-prepared porous LiCoO₂ delivers a reversible capacity of 106.5 mA h g^-1 at 2C and with stable capacity retention of 96.4% even after 100 cycles. This work may provide an alternative pathway for the preparation of porous materials with broader applications.