Zinc Dicyanamide: A Potential High-Capacity Negative Electrode for Li-Ion Batteries

We demonstrate that the β-polymorph of zinc dicyanamide, Zn[N(CN)₂]₂, can be efficiently used as a negative electrode material for lithium-ion batteries. Zn[N(CN)₂]₂ exhibits an unconventional increased capacity upon cycling with a maximum capacity of about 650 mAh·g^-1 after 250 cycles at 0.5C, an increase of almost 250%, and then maintaining a large reversible capacity of more than 600 mAh·g^-1 for 150 cycles. Such an increased capacity is primarily attributed to the increased level of activity in the conversion reaction. A combination of conversion-type and alloy-type mechanisms is revealed in this anode material via advanced characterization studies and theoretical calculations. This mechanism, observed here for the first time in transition-metal dicyanamides, is probably responsible for the outstanding electrochemical performance. We believe that this study guides the development of new high-capacity anode materials.