Interpenetrated N-rich MOF derived vesicular N-doped carbon for high performance lithium ion battery

High-performance lithium ion batteries (LIBs) juggling high reversible capacity, excellent rate capability and ultralong cycle stability are urgently needed for all electronic devices. Here we report employing a vesicle-like porous N-doped carbon material (abbr. N/C-900) as a highly active anode for LIBs to balance high capacity, high rate and long life. The N/C-900 material was fabricated by pyrolysis of a designed crystal MOF LCU-104, which exhibits a graceful two-fold interpenetrating structural feature of N-rich nanocages {Zn₆(dttz)₄} linked through an N-donor ligand bpp (H₃dttz = 4,5-di(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)-2H-1,2,3-triazole, bpp = 1,3-bis(4-pyridyl)propane). The features of LCU-104 combine high N content (35.1%), interpenetration, and explosive characteristics, which endow the derived N/C material with optimized N-doping for tuning its chemical and electronic structure, a suitably thicker wall to enhance its stability, and a vesicle-like structure to improve its porosity. As an anode material for LIBs, N/C-900 delivers a highly reversible capacity of ca. 734 mA h g^-1 at a large current density of 1 A g^-1 until the 2000th cycle, revealing its ultralong cycle stability and excellent rate capability. The unique structure and preferential interaction between abundant pyridinic N active sites and Li atoms are responsible for the improved excellent lithium storage capacity and durability performances of the anode according to analysis of the results of computational modeling.