Research progress and preparation of nanometer zinc ferrite used in anode materials of lithium ion batteries

Zinc ferrite (ZnFe₂O₄) is used as a new anode material for the lithium ion batteries due to its excellent performance. However, ZnFe₂O₄ has the poor electrical conductivity and the serious volume effects during the charging and discharging, which results in the low cycle stability, fast capacity decay, and poor rate performance, limiting its application. Several methods for preparing the nano-ZnFe₂O₄ and ZnFe₂O₄ composites were introduced in this paper. The morphology and microstructure of the nano-scale ZnFe₂O₄ were studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The electrochemical performance of the products produced by the hydrothermal method, solvothermal method, electrospinning technology, co-precipitation method, and solid-phase reaction method were analyzed, and the real reasons that limited the ZnFe₂O₄ development were summarized.