ZnFe2O4, a Green and High-Capacity Anode Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries: A Review

Abstract

Ferrites, a broad class of ceramic oxides, possess intriguing physico-chemical properties, mainly due to their unique structural features, that, during these last 50–60 years, made them the materials of choice for many different applications. They are, indeed, applied as inductors, high-frequency materials, for electric field suppression, as catalysts and sensors, in nanomedicine for magneto-fluid hyperthermia and magnetic resonance imaging, and, more recently, in electrochemistry. In particular, ZnFe2O4 and its solid solutions are drawing scientists’ attention for the application as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The main reasons are found in the low cost, abundance, and environmental friendliness of both Zn and Fe precursors, high surface-to-volume ratio, relatively short path for Li-ion diffusion, low working voltage of about 1.5 V for lithium extraction, and the high theoretical specific capacity (1072 mA h g−1). However, some drawbacks are represented by fast capacity fading and poor rate capability, resulting from a low electronic conductivity, severe agglomeration, and large volume change during lithiation/delithiation processes. In this review, the main synthesis methods of spinels will be briefly discussed before presenting the most recent and promising electrochemical results on ZnFe2O4 obtained with peculiar morphologies/architectures or as composites, which represent the focus of this review.

Effect of Mn Substitution on GeFe2O4 as an Anode for Sodium Ion Batteries

“…Alloy-type anodes represent a promising category of materials for battery application, thanks to their ability to react electrochemically with sodium, as well as with lithium, to form binary compounds with high specific capacities [8,9]. However, these materials suffer from the same issues-in particular, their large volume expansion during charge and discharge, leading to the pulverization of the anode material and hence to rapid capacity fading.…”

Pure and (Sn or Mg) Doped GeFe2O4 as Anodes for Sodium-Ion Batteries

“…Hybrid structures consisting of active materials and a conductive carbon film are useful for increasing the electrode electronic conductivity and mitigating the active material volume expansion [25]. However, the use of both strategies to obtain a synergistic effect for improving the electrochemical performances in an electrode is still challenging.…”

Structural, dielectric, and thermal properties of Zn and Cr doped Mg- Co spinel nanoferrites

“…Spinel nanoferrites have a significant variety of usages, including switching and high-frequency devices [11], removal of organic industrial contaminants [16], hyperthermia treatments [17], high-performance energystorage equipment [10], drug delivery for cancer treatment [18], and waste-water management [19]. The spinel structure ferrites also have been used in lithium-ion batteries [20] in antimicrobial [21,22], and microwave applications [23,24]. The crystal structure of spinel soft ferrites has the formula AB 2 O 4 and is an FCC lattice structure with 64 A sites and 32 B sites for one unit cell that contains eight formula units [2].…”