Mn₃O₄−Graphene Hybrid as a High-Capacity Anode Material for Lithium Ion Batteries

TLDR

The study proposes a growth‑on‑graphene method to design battery electrodes from highly insulating materials. Two‑step solution‑phase reactions were used to selectively grow Mn(3)O(4) nanoparticles on reduced graphene oxide sheets, wiring the insulating particles to a current collector through the conductive graphene network. The Mn(3)O(4)/RGO hybrid delivers a high specific capacity (~900 mAh g⁻¹), near theoretical, with good rate capability and cycling stability, making it a promising high‑capacity, low‑cost, environmentally friendly anode.

Abstract

We developed two-step solution-phase reactions to form hybrid materials of Mn(3)O(4) nanoparticles on reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sheets for lithium ion battery applications. Selective growth of Mn(3)O(4) nanoparticles on RGO sheets, in contrast to free particle growth in solution, allowed for the electrically insulating Mn(3)O(4) nanoparticles to be wired up to a current collector through the underlying conducting graphene network. The Mn(3)O(4) nanoparticles formed on RGO show a high specific capacity up to ∼900 mAh/g, near their theoretical capacity, with good rate capability and cycling stability, owing to the intimate interactions between the graphene substrates and the Mn(3)O(4) nanoparticles grown atop. The Mn(3)O(4)/RGO hybrid could be a promising candidate material for a high-capacity, low-cost, and environmentally friendly anode for lithium ion batteries. Our growth-on-graphene approach should offer a new technique for the design and synthesis of battery electrodes based on highly insulating materials.