Facile synthesis of one-dimensional Mn3O4/Zn2SnO4 hybrid composites and their high performance as anodes for LIBs

Abstract

One-dimensional (1D) Mn₃O₄ nanorod/Zn₂SnO₄ nanoneedle hierarchical composites were conveniently synthesized via a simple hydrothermal process at 180 °C for 24 h. It was found that the reaction time and an appropriate amount of ammonia play vital roles during their formation process, and their formation is likely driven by the lattice match of the cubic Zn₂SnO₄ nanoneedles and cubic Mn₃O₄ nanorods. The as-obtained composites deliver a high initial discharge capacity of 1370.9 mA h g⁻¹ at 100 mA g⁻¹ in the range of 0.01–3.0 V, and a reversible specific capacity of 577.4 mA h g⁻¹ could be retained after 50 cycles. It is noteworthy that 441.5 mA h g⁻¹ could be maintained after 50 cycles even if the current density was set as high as 1000 mA h g⁻¹, and the rate performance of nanocomposites (200, 500, 1000 mA g⁻¹) also shows excellent reversible character. The high specific capacity, good cycling stability and high rate performance of the as-obtained composites enable them to be promising and competitive high-performance anodes in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). It is worth noting that the fabrication method reported here can be easily extended to prepare other 1D metal oxide hybrid materials including Mn₃O₄/ZnFe₂O₄, Mn₂O₃/CoFe₂O₄ and Mn₂O₃/NiFe₂O₄ composites via a similar hydrothermal process with/without subsequent calcination, which hold great promise for their wide potential applications in energy, catalysis and environmental science and technology.