Urchin-like MnO/C microspheres as high-performance lithium-ion battery anode

Manganese oxide (MnO) is prospective as anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to its low insertion voltage and high reversible capacity. Here, urchin-like MnO microspheres with carbon coating (u-MnO/C) are synthesized through hydrothermal method, and its lithium storage performance is investigated. The unique urchin-like structures of u-MnO/C endow it high surface area which provides sufficient contact with electrolyte. The carbon coating can effectively suffer volume change of u-MnO during charge/discharge process. Meanwhile, the carbon coating can effectively improve the conductivity of u-MnO-based anode. Due to the above features, u-MnO/C delivers high initial capacity of 845 mAh g−1, and an obvious activation process is observed at the beginning of the cycles thanks to the abundant invasion of the electrolyte into u-MnO/C. The large capacity of 723 mAh g-1 can still be achieved after 80 cycles. This work provides a promising guide for designing high-performance LIBs electrode materials.