MOF-directed templating synthesis of a porous multicomponent dodecahedron with hollow interiors for enhanced lithium-ion battery anodes

The high performance of lithium-ion battery (LIB) electrodes relies largely on the meticulous design of hierarchical nanostructures with optimal balance between superior electrochemical properties and conductivity. Herein, we present a facile and cost-effective solvothermal method to fabricate a porous NiCo₂O₄/NiO hollow dodecahedron using zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 (ZIF-67) as both a precursor and a self-sacrificing template. Accurate control between the template etching and the precipitation of the shells is crucial to the preparation of the perfect nanocages. Serving as LIB anode materials, such metal-organic framework derived multiple transition metal oxides demonstrate a high reversible capacity of 1535 mA h g^-1 at 0.2 A g^-1 and a good cycling stability (97.2% retention after 100 cycles). The presented strategy represents a general route to synthesize various hierarchically interconnected and porous nanostructures of mixed transition metal oxides which are promising for a range of applications.