Preparation of pompon-like MnO/carbon nanotube composite microspheres as anodes for lithium ion batteries

By Xia Cui and Yuqiao Wang and Zheng Chen and Huihui Zhou and Qingyu Xu and Pingping Sun and Jian Zhou and Lin Xia and Yueming Sun and Yunfeng Lu
Published in Electrochimica Acta NULL 2015

Abstract

Pompon-like MnO/carbon nanotube (CNT) composite microspheres have been prepared by the pyrolysis of Mn3O4 and \CNT\ mixtures. These microspheres are constructed by combining MnO nanocrystallines with \CNT\ scaffolds to form the interconnected MnO-modified \CNT\ networks. The three-dimensional composite structures are superior to the simple mixture of MnO and \CNT\ in combination with each advantage, such as the inhibited aggregation, large porosity, high conductivity and enhanced mechanical strength. The lithium ion batteries based on MnO/CNT composite microspheres as anodes exhibit a high specific capacity of 841 mAh g?1 after 200 cycles at 0.1 A g?1. Even at 0.38 A g?1, the capacity could be still kept at 741 mAh g?1 after 250 cycles. The significant results might be attributed to the unique space grid structure and specific composition, including the \CNT\ crossing-linked MnO for high dispersion of nanoparticles, abundant porous channels for electrolyte diffusion, excellent electronic conductivity for electron transport and durable structure for repeated electrochemical reactions.

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