Hollow Octahedral Pr6O11-Mn2O3 Heterostructures for High-Performance Aqueous Zn-Ion Batteries

Abstract

Mn-based oxides are broadly prospected cathode materials for aqueous Zn-ion batteries (AZIBs) due to their rich abundance, low cost, and plentiful valence states. However, the further development of Mn-based oxides is severely restricted by the dissolution of active materials and poor structural stability. Herein, hollow octahedral Pr₆O₁₁-Mn₂O₃ (denoted as PrO-MnO) heterostructures are developed through a facile metal–organic framework-engaged templating approach, which realizes boosted Zn ion storage performance. Pr₆O₁₁ can not only effectively suppress the dissolution of Mn to stabilize Mn₂O₃ but also induce interfacial charge rearrangement and promote electron/ion transfer, contributing to the improved electrochemical activity and stability of PrO-MnO. Moreover, the rationally designed hollow nanostructure offers sufficient active sites and facilitates the reaction kinetics. As expected, the PrO-MnO cathode exhibits excellent rate and cycling performance with a high reversible capacity of 140.8 mAh g⁻¹ after 2000 cycles at 1 A g⁻¹, outperforming the Mn₂O₃ cathode.