Graphite Nanoplates Firmly Anchored with Well-dispersed Porous Zn₃V₂O₈ Nanospheres: Rational Fabrication and Enhanced Lithium Storage Capability

Developing electrode materials with both high energy and power densities is of crucial importance for lithium ion batteries (LIBs). In this work, a novel anode material, graphite nanoplates firmly anchoring with well-dispersed porous Zn₃V₂O₈ nanospheres (Zn₃V₂O₈/GNPs), is rationally fabricated via a simple and scalable liquid reflux and subsequent calcination process. The introduced GNP matrices significantly improved the electrochemical performances of the Zn₃V₂O₈/GNPs by enhancing structural durability of the electrodes and facilitating the electron-transfer and mass-transport kinetics. Thus, the Zn₃V₂O₈/GNPs-50 exhibits a reversible specific capacity of 648 mA h g⁻¹ at a current density of 0.8 A g⁻¹ after 100 cycles and 488 mA h g⁻¹ at a high current density of 3.2 A g⁻¹ after 400 cycles. Inspiringly, a new full cell (Zn₃V₂O₈/GNPs-50//LNCM-111) was successfully assembled, which manifested superior electrochemical performances. Hence, we believe that this study demonstrates a promising anode material for next generation LIBs, and particularly, provides a strategy for the rational design of GNPs-based metal oxide composite materials.