Facile synthesis of hollow sphere MnCO3: A cheap and environmentally benign anode material for Li-ion batteries

• Published in: Materials letters 2014-12, Vol.136, p.411-415
• Main Authors: Kesavan, T., Suresh, S., Arulraj, I., Ragupathy, P., Dheenadayalan, S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anode materials; Current density; Diffraction; Dissolution; Electron paramagnetic resonance; Hollow sphere structure; Li-ion battery; Manganese; Manganese carbonate; Scanning electron microscopy; Silicon dioxide; Specific capacity; Sulfates
• ISSN: 0167-577X; 1873-4979
• DOI: 10.1016/j.matlet.2014.08.048

Uniform hierarchical hollow microspheres of manganese carbonate (MnCO3) have been synthesized by an efficient template assisted method using SiO2, manganese sulfate, and urea. Under a hydrothermal condition, manganese silicate is completely transformed into MnCO3, accompanied by dissolution of the inner SiO2 core. The synthesized compounds have been characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal analysis (TGA), and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) have been used to investigate the surface morphology of MnCO3 particles. The galvanostatic charge–discharge curves are used to evaluate the specific capacity of hollow sphere MnCO3. The initial discharge capacity was found to be 330mAhg−1 at a current density of 44mAg−1. The capacity retention is significantly enhanced when compared with commercial MnCO3 powder. An efficient and simple route to prepare hollow sphere MnCO3 is reported. This novel approach can be extended to synthesis various hollow sphere materials for supercapacitors and lithium ion batteries. The specific capacity of hollow sphere MnCO3 as an anode electrode material is found to be 330mAhg−1. Interestingly, hollow sphere morphology of MnCO3 enhances the performance of Li ion batteries when compared to that of commercial MnCO3 powder. Reversible reaction between lithium and manganese carbonate opens up a new hope for the development of alternate anode materials with safe and low cost Li ion battery technology. [Display omitted]