Green synthesis and unveiling the stable Lithium-ion storage of a lignin derived carbon supported zinc ferrite nanocomposite

This work demonstrates an innovative strategy to effectively dispersing zinc ferrite (ZnFe 2 O 4 ) nanoparticles in lignosulfonate derived carbon (LigC) domains to construct a corresponding ZnFe 2 O 4 @LigC composite. Lignosulfonate (Lig) is firstly employed to significantly accelerate the coprecipitation between Zn 2+ and Fe 3+ in a mild hydrothermal condition. The as-obtained Zn-Fe-Lig intermediate sediment is further converted to ZnFe 2 O 4 @LigC by a thermal treatment, in which the size and aggregation of the ZnFe 2 O 4 nanocrystals are remarkably controlled by the in-situ constructed porous LigC skeleton. The ZnFe 2 O 4 @LigC nanocomposite exhibits high and stable lithium-ion storage properties, which maintains a reversible capacity of 695.19 mAh g −1 after 600 cycles at a current rate of 1000 mA g −1 in half cells as well as good full cell performances. Particularly, it is preliminarily investigated the evolution of the copper (Cu) foil current collector in the ZnFe 2 O 4 @LigC electrode induced by the zinc (Zn) atoms, which significantly enhances the binding stability between the Cu foil and the pasted ZnFe 2 O 4 @LigC nanocomposite. This work not only provides a green and scalable protocol for using organic biomass materials to synthesize inorganic nanocomposites with improved microstructure, but also uncovers a novel understanding for the high and stable lithium-ion storage performances of the ZnFe 2 O 4 @LigC electrode. A sustainable and scalable method is explored to effectively dispersing zinc ferrite (ZnFe 2 O 4 ) nanoparticles in lignosulfonate derived carbon (LigC) domains, in which the Zn atom significantly optimize the Cu current collector surface for improved lithium-ion storage. • A simplified and green strategy is developed to engineer biomass lignosulfonate derived carbon (LigC) supported nanocomposites. • Significantly accelerated coprecipitation between Zn 2+ and Fe 3+ is achieved by the complexation of lignosulfonate (Lig). • The size and aggregation of the ZnFe 2 O 4 nanocrystals are remarkably controlled by the in-situ constructed LigC skeleton. • Surface interaction between the Zn atoms from ZnFe 2 O 4 @LigC and the Cu current collector leads to improved performances.