Abstract:
Because of their large volume variation and inferior electrical conductivity, Mn
3O
4-based oxide anode materials have short cyclic lives and poor rate capability, which obstructs their development. In this study, we successfully prepared a Mn
3O
4/N-doped honeycomb carbon composite using a smart and facile synthetic method. The Mn
3O
4 nanopolyhedra are grown on N-doped honeycomb carbon, which evidently mitigates the volume change in the charging and discharging processes but also improves the electrochemical reaction kinetics. More importantly, the Mn–O–C bond in the Mn
3O
4/N-doped honeycomb carbon composite benefits electrochemical reversibility. These features of the Mn
3O
4/N-doped honeycomb carbon (NHC) composite are responsible for its superior electrochemical performance. When used for Li-ion batteries, the Mn
3O
4/N-doped honeycomb carbon anode exhibits a high reversible capacity of 598 mAh·g
−1 after 350 cycles at 1 A·g
−1. Even at 2 A·g
−1, the Mn
3O
4/NHC anode still delivers a high capacity of 472 mAh·g
−1. This work provides a new prospect for synthesizing and developing manganese-based oxide materials for energy storage.