Hierarchical porous ZnMn 2 O 4 derived from cotton substance as high‐performance lithium ion battery anode

Hierarchical porous ZnMn 2 O 4 has been prepared by an initial cotton template and subsequent calcination route. The as‐prepared hierarchical porous ZnMn 2 O 4 composed of numerous nanoparticles well inherit the fibre‐like structure of cotton, and these nanoparticles have a size of ∼20–50 nm. The N 2 adsorption–desorption test indicates this ZnMn 2 O 4 has a Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area of ∼16.7084 m 2 g −1 and average pore size of ∼27.0 nm. As lithium ion battery anodes, the ZnMn 2 O 4 can deliver a discharge capacity of 674.9 mAh g −1 after 200 cycles at current density of 200 mA g −1 . Even at 1000 mA g −1 , this ZnMn 2 O 4 still shows a stable discharge capacity of 541.5 mAh g −1 . These promising electrochemical performances may be attributed to its unique hierarchical porous structure which helps to accelerate the ions transportation and elevate the structure stability.