Nanoweb anodes composed of one-dimensional, high aspect ratio, size tunable electrospun ZnFe2O4 nanofibers for lithium ion batteries

Pei Fen Teh; Yogesh Sharma; Stevin Snellius Pramana; Madhavi Srinivasan

doi:10.1039/C1JM12088C

Nanoweb anodes composed of one-dimensional, high aspect ratio, size tunable electrospun ZnFe₂O₄ nanofibers for lithium ion batteries†

Pei Fen Teh,^a Yogesh Sharma,^bc Stevin Snellius Pramana^c and Madhavi Srinivasan*^acd

* Corresponding authors

^a School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
E-mail: madhavi@ntu.edu.sg
Fax: +65 6790 9081
Tel: +65 6790 4606

^b Physics section, Department of Paper Technology, Indian Institute of Technology, Saharnapur Campus, Roorkee, India

^c Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERIAN), Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Drive, Singapore

^d TUM CREATE Centre for Electromobility, 62 Nanyang Drive, Block N1.2, Singapore

Abstract

Nanowebs consisting of interwoven ZnFe₂O₄ nanofibers are synthesized by a simple electrospinning technique, to be employed as an environmentally friendly anode in lithium ion batteries. Effect of precursor viscosity on the growth mechanism of electrospun ZnFe₂O₄ nanofibers (ZFO-NF) and ZnFe₂O₄ nanorods (ZFO-NR) is studied by microscopy and diffraction techniques. Structural characterization by powder X-ray diffraction, FESEM and HRTEM studies evaluates the single phase nature of ZnFe₂O₄, which consists of 11(3) nm nanocrystals that self-agglomerate to form nanofibers after thermal treatment. FESEM micrographs depict the self-assembly of electrospun ZnFe₂O₄ nanofibers into intertwined porous nanowebs with a continuous framework. Benefitting from the one-dimensional functional nanostructured architecture, the application of electrospun nanowebs with ZnFe₂O₄ nanofiber (ZFO-NF) anodes in lithium ion batteries exhibits excellent cyclability and retains a reversible capacity of 733(10) mAh g⁻¹ up to 30 cycles at 60 mA g⁻¹ as compared to ZnFe₂O₄ nanorods (ZFO-NR) with a capacity of ∼200 mAh g⁻¹. In addition, the importance of providing electronic wiring during lithiation/delithiation, especially in prolonged cycling, is emphasized.

Supplementary files

Article information

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/C1JM12088C
Article type: Paper
Submitted: 11 May 2011
Accepted: 06 Jul 2011
First published: 22 Aug 2011

Download Citation

J. Mater. Chem., 2011,21, 14999-15008

Permissions

Request permissions

Nanoweb anodes composed of one-dimensional, high aspect ratio, size tunable electrospun ZnFe₂O₄ nanofibers for lithium ion batteries

P. F. Teh, Y. Sharma, S. S. Pramana and M. Srinivasan, J. Mater. Chem., 2011, 21, 14999 DOI: 10.1039/C1JM12088C

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Journal of Materials Chemistry