Co-coating ZnCo2O4 and carbon on a biomimetic sea anemone-shaped SnO2 mesostructure for high-performance lithium-ion batteries and semi-solid lithium slurry batteries

Biomimetic materials are receiving increasing attention as potential candidates for secondary battery systems owing to unique structures and properties. Here, we develop a biomimetic composite composing of sea anemone-shaped hollow SnO 2 in-situ co-coating with ZnCo 2 O 4 nanoparticles encapsulated by a carbon shell. The biomimetic SnO 2 @ZnCo 2 O 4 @C-based Li-ion battery anode shows a stable capacity of 700 mAh g −1 after 350 cycles, a Coulombic efficiency exceeding 99% and a repeatable rate-performance. Low reaction barriers and rapid diffusion kinetics of Li ions are verified by using galvanostatic intermittent titration technique analysis. Moreover, a full cell composing of a SnO 2 @ZnCo 2 O 4 @C anode and a LiCoO 2 cathode exhibits 520 mAh g −1 ; while working as a slurry battery anode, the sea anemone-shaped SnO 2 @ZnCo 2 O 4 @C also displays high capacity and Coulombic efficiency after 100 cycles. The high performances of the biomimetic composite when working at different battery systems enable it to be applicable broadly.