Nanostructured MnO2 anode materials for advanced lithium ion batteries

Owing to the high reversible capacity, low-cost, natural abundance and environmental friendliness, manganese dioxide (MnO2) is recognized as one of the most appropriate and promising anode materials. In this work, nanostructured MnO2 anode materials have been achieved via a hydrothermal method. The crystal structure, morphology and specific surface area of as-prepared MnO2 are characterized by XRD, SEM and BET techniques. As anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, MnO2 samples show high initial discharge capacity and relatively excellent cyclic performance. The electrochemical performance of MnO2 samples is related to crystal structure and surface morphology. Monoclinic structure, it is similar to graphene, which is more convenient for the fast ionic transportation into the bulk of the electrode materials. And porous structure, which can accommodate volume expansion, shorten the electron and lithium ion diffusion pathway and provide a large number of electrochemical reactive sites for lithium ion insertion and extraction during cycling.