Zinc vacancy modulated quaternary metallic oxynitride GeZn(1.7)ON(1.8): as a high-performance anode for lithium-ion storage

The development of alternative anode materials to achieve high lithium-ion storage performance is crucial for the next-generation lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). In this study, a new anode material, Zn-defected GeZn(1.7)ON(1.8) (GeZn(1.7−x)ON(1.8)), was rationally designed and successfully synthesized by a simple ammoniation and acid etching method. The introduced zinc vacancy can increase the capacity by more than 100%, originating from the additional space for the lithium-ion insertion. This GeZn(1.7−x)ON(1.8) particle anode delivers a high capacity (868 mA h g(−1) at 0.1 A g(−1) after 200 cycles) and ultralong cyclic stability (2000 cycles at 1.0 A g(−1) with a maintained capacity of 458.6 mA h g(−1)). Electrochemical kinetic analysis corroborates the enhanced pseudocapacitive contribution and lithium-ion reaction kinetics in the GeZn(1.7−x)ON(1.8) particle anode. Furthermore, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses at different electrochemical reaction states confirm the reversible intercalation lithium-ion storage mechanism of this GeZn(1.7−x)ON(1.8) particle anode. This study offers a new vision toward designing high-performance quaternary metallic oxynitride-based materials for large-scale energy storage applications.