Formation of porous nitrogen-doped carbon-coating MnO nanospheres for advanced reversible lithium storage

Herein, we have developed a facile and effective approach for synthesizing a novel kind of porous nitrogen-doped carbon-coated MnO nanosphere. The porous Mn₂O₃ nanospheres are initially obtained by the calcination treatment of a coordination self-assembled aggregation precursor (referred to as Mn(OAc)₂-C-8). Then, MnO@N-doped carbon composites (MnO@NCs) are obtained by the calcination of the Mn₂O₃ nanospheres coated with polydopamine (Mn₂O₃@PDA). The MnO@NCs are evaluated as an anode for lithium ion batteries (LIBs), which exhibit high specific capacity, stable cycling performance (1096.6 mA h g^-1 after 100 cycles at 100 mA g^-1) and high coulombic efficiency (about 99% over 100 cycles). The unique structure design and synergistic effect not only settle the challenges of low conductivity and poor cycling stability of transition metal oxides but also resolve the imperfection of inferior specific capacity of traditional graphite materials. Importantly, it may provide a commendable conception for developing new-fashioned anode materials to improve the lithium storage capability and electrochemical performance.