Synthesis of Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework Cubes for Fabrication of Lithium Ion Battery

The zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8) hollow cubes, a novel template for fabrication of lithium ion battery, were synthesized via chemical route.The influence of the surfactant CTAB concentration on the micro/nano-structures and lithium ion storage behaviour of the SiO₂@C@MoS₂ hollow cubes, fabricated with the SiO₂@C template, was investigated with X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and electrochemical analysis.The results show that the surfactant CTAB concentration had a major impact.To be specific, the SiO₂@C had well-defined cubic structure with a narrow size distribution and the SiO₂@C@MoS₂ Li-ion battery demonstrated excellent Li-ion storage properties.For instance, tested at a constant current of 100 mA/g for 100 charge/discharge cycles, the Li-ion battery, made of newly-developed SiO₂@C@MoS₂ composite cubes, had a specific discharge capacity of 930 mAh/g and a charge/discharge cycling efficiency above 95%.