Electrochemical Sodiation/Desodiation into Mn₃O₄ Nanoparticles

Abstract

Mn₃O₄ is considered to be a promising anode\nmaterial for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) because of its low cost,\nhigh capacity, and enhanced safety. However, the inferior cyclic stability\nof the Mn₃O₄ anode is a major challenge for\nthe development of SIBs. In this study, a one-step solvothermal method\nwas established to produce nanostructured Mn₃O₄ with an average particle size of 21 nm and a crystal size of 11\nnm. The Mn₃O₄ obtained exhibits a unique architecture,\nconsisting of small clusters composed of numerous tiny nanoparticles.\nThe Mn₃O₄ material could deliver high capacity\n(522 mAh g^–1 at 100 mA g^–1), reasonable\ncyclic stability (158 mAh g^–1 after 200 cycles),\nand good rate capability (73 mAh g^–1 at 1000 mA\ng^–1) even without further carbon coating, which\nis a common exercise for most anode materials so far. The sodium insertion/extraction\nwas also confirmed by a reversible conversion reaction by adopting\nan ex situ X-ray diffraction technique. This simple, cost-effective,\nand environmentally friendly synthesis technique with good electrochemical\nperformance shows that the Mn₃O₄ nanoparticle\nanode has the potential for SIB development.