Highly dispersed CuO nanoparticle on ZIF-4 framework as anode material for LIBs

A novel prepared ZIF-4@CuO is proposed as lithium-ion battery (LIB) anode material in this work. ZIF-4-CuCl₂ is prepared by the hydrogen extraction reaction in which CuCl₂ replaced the hydrogen sites on the imidazole-based N-heterocyclic carbene of ZIF-4 for under basic conditions. ZIF-4@CuO was prepared by decomposition of ZIF-4-CuCl₂ precursor. The formed CuO was isolated and highly dispersed by the ZIF-4 frame. The combination of porous structure by ZIF and highly dispersed CuO nanoparticles strongly promotes the reaction kinetics of the electrode. The reversible specific capacity of ZIF-4@CuO anode material is 425 mA h g^-1 at 1000 mA g^-1 after 300 cycles, exhibits excellent electrochemical performance in LIBs. The preparation of highly dispersed nanoparticles explores a novel strategy for the anodes design of LIBs with superior performance.