Chem. J. Chinese Universities ›› 2026, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (8): 20260046.doi: 10.7503/cjcu20260046

• Physical Chemistry • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Synergistic Modification of Ni2+ Doping and Nanostructure Regulation for High-performance Aqueous Zinc-ion Battery MnO2 Cathodes

YANG Ting1, SONG Yaxuan1, ZHANG Jinyu1, FENG Xiaoyu1, GE Yufeng1, JING Xiaoxia1(), CHANG Panpan2()   

  1. 1.Department of Applied Chemistry,Yuncheng University,Yuncheng 044000,China
    2.School of Biological and Chemical Engineering,Guangxi University of Science and Technology,Liuzhou 545006,China
  • Received:2026-01-26 Online:2026-08-10 Published:2026-04-07
  • Contact: JING Xiaoxia, CHANG Panpan E-mail:jingxiaoxia@ycu.edu.cn;changpp@gxust.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    the National Natural Science Foundation of China(21905061);the Fundamental Research Program of Shanxi Province, China(202403021212304);the Scientific Research Program for PhDs Coming to Shanxi Province, China(QZX-2023015);the Technology Plan Project of Yuncheng City for 2025, China(YCKJYD-202537);the Applied Research Projects of Yuncheng University, China(YY-202207)

Abstract:

The δ-MnO2 cathode materials in aqueous zinc-ion batteries suffer from sluggish reaction kinetics, structural instability and rapid capacity degradation. To address these issues, this study proposes a synergistic modification strategy combining Ni2+ doping and nanostructure regulation, successfully preparing Ni2+-doped δ-MnO2 nanoflower spheres(NiMnO2-n). Nanostructure regulation endows NiMnO2-n with nanosized sheet structures and a large specific surface area of 142 m2/g, effectively shortening ion diffusion paths and increasing electrochemical active sites. Besides, Ni2+ doping further reduces the thickness of nanosheet and expands the interlayer spacing, which not only promotes H+/Zn2+ intercalation/extraction kinetics but also significantly enhances the structural stability of NiMnO2-n. Moreover, the abundant oxygen vacancies introduced by Ni2+ doping weaken the spatial potential resistance for ion intercalation and lower the ion diffusion barrier, thereby accelerating the reaction kinetics. Benefiting from these structural advantages, NiMnO2-n exhibits faster H+ and Zn2+ diffusion characteristics and improved intercalation/extraction kinetics, leading to improved rate capability and cycling stability: it delivers a reversible capacity of 150.7 mA·h/g at a current density of 1.0 A/g with a decay rate as low as 0.040% per cycle over 900 cycles. Mechanistic studies preliminarily confirm that the energy storage process in NiMnO2-n originates from the intercalation/extraction of H+ and Zn2+ and the dissolution-deposition of MnO2.

Key words: Aqueous zinc-ion battery, Doping, Structural regulation, Oxygen vacancy, Kinetics

CLC Number: 

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