Lithium storage properties of nucleation-dominated manganese carbonate nanoparticles

Transition metal carbonates are promising lithium storage materials for next generation lithium batteries owing to their high theoretical storage capacities compared with commercial graphite materials. However, their applications can be limited by poor electrical conductivity and severe volume variation during the cycling process. In this study, the nucleation-dominated synthesis of MnCO₃ (MnCO₃-ND) was performed using a simple aqueous precipitation route by employing a higher precursor concentration and a faster precipitant rate. Compared with the growth-dominated synthesis of MnCO₃ (MnCO₃-GD)-prepared under mild conditions-the MnCO₃-ND exhibited an approximately 18-fold higher surface area and a 6-fold larger pore volume. This architecture enabled superior lithium storage properties through both improved bulk Li-storage capacity and considerably enhanced interfacial storage capacity, thereby markedly improving the overall energy-storage efficiency. Consequently, MnCO₃-ND delivered a reversible capacity of 1340 mAh g^-1 after 400 cycles at 0.2 A g^-1 and maintained a capacity of 517 mAh g^-1 after 400 cycles at a high current density of 1.0 A g^-1. Moreover, when combined with a LiFePO₄ (LFP) cathode, MnCO₃-ND exhibited a capacity of 147 mAh g^-1 after 200 cycles at 0.5C. This study provides a simple and effective strategy for achieving high lithium storage performance of carbonate-based materials for next-generation lithium batteries.