Hierarchical MnMoO4@nitrogen-doped carbon core-shell microspheres for lithium/potassium-ion batteries

Transition metal oxides (TMOs) are deemed as promising next-generation anode materials for alkali-ion batteries owing to their high energy density. However, the structures of the TMOs electrode materials are destroyed due to the huge volume changes during charging/discharging, so that the batteries cannot pro -vide a long cycle life. Herein, a unique hierarchical MnMoO4@nitrogen-doped carbon (MnMoO4@NC) core-shell microspheres are synthesized as an advanced electrode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and potassium-ion batteries (PIBs). Specifically, the semi-hollow microspheres structures of MnMoO4 formed by self-assembly of nanoparticles can improve its utilization efficiency and the speed of ion transfer. Moreover, the uniform nitrogen-doped carbon layer not only improves the structural stability of MnMoO4 but also enhances the electrical conductivity of the overall composite. The resultant MnMoO4@NC as an anode for LIBs delivers 817 mAh g(-1) after 800 cycles at 1 A g(-1), and for PIBs remains 95 mAh g(-1) over 400 cycles at 0.5 A g(-1). (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In this study, hierarchical MnMoO4@NC core-shell microspheres were synthesized as advanced electrode materials for both lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and potassium-ion batteries (PIBs), showing improved performance due to the semi-hollow microsphere structure of MnMoO4 and the uniform nitrogen-doped carbon layer.