Facile synthesis of MnOx nanoparticles sandwiched between nitrogen-doped carbon plates for lithium ion batteries with stable capacity and high-rate capability

Abstract

In this work, a material consisting of MnO_x nanoparticles sandwiched between nitrogen-doped carbon plates (C/MnO_x/C) has been successfully synthesized via a step-by-step strategy. It is demonstrated that the MnO_x nanoparticles are well sandwiched between the double nitrogen-doped platelike carbon sheets. As an anode material for lithium-ion batteries, the double nitrogen-doped platelike carbon sheets encapsulating MnO_x can not only address the issues related to the aggregation and volumetric changes of manganese oxides during the Li⁺ insertion/extraction, but also effectively shorten the transport path of Li⁺ ions and enhance the conductivity. As a result, the prepared C/MnO_x/C composite exhibits stable cycling performance and superior high rate capability. The reversible capacity of C/MnO_x/C after 100 cycles is as high as 770.9 mA h g⁻¹, which is comparable with the initial capacity at 0.2 A g⁻¹, and even at a high rate at 1 A g⁻¹, it can deliver a high reversible of 443.9 mA h g⁻¹, demonstrating the rational architecture design of the encapsulation of MnO_x with nitrogen-doped platelike carbon layers.