Facile synthesis of the Mn₃O₄ polyhedron grown on N-doped honeycomb carbon as high-performance negative material for lithium-ion batteries

Because of their large volume variation and inferior electrical conductivity, Mn₃O₄-based oxide anode materials have short cyclic lives and poor rate capability, which obstructs their development. In this study, we successfully prepared a Mn₃O₄/N-doped honeycomb carbon composite using a smart and facile synthetic method. The Mn₃O₄ 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 Mn₃O₄/N-doped honeycomb carbon composite benefits electrochemical reversibility. These features of the Mn₃O₄/N-doped honeycomb carbon (NHC) composite are responsible for its superior electrochemical performance. When used for Li-ion batteries, the Mn₃O₄/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 Mn₃O₄/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.