Valonia aegagropila-shaped manganese oxide with hybrid Battery-Supercapacitor behavior for lithium-ion storage

Abstract

Manganese-based oxides exhibit diverse applications and demonstrate exceptional performance in the field of electrochemical energy storage and conversion. However, the utilization of transition metal oxides as anode electrode materials in lithium-ion batteries faces several challenges, including inadequate cycling stability and poor conductivity. To address these issues, a unique nanostructured single-metal oxide, specifically manganese oxide with valonia aegagropila-shaped morphology, was achieved using a uniform thermal decomposition approach. The valonia aegagropila-shaped Mn₂O₃ anode material exhibits remarkable discharge specific capacity at low current densities, with an initial discharge specific capacity reaching up to 1280 mA h g⁻¹ and maintaining a consistent specific capacity of approximately 830 mA h g⁻¹. During this process, reversible oxidation–reduction reactions of Mn³⁺ ions occur, thereby enhancing the stability of Mn₂O₃ anode. Moreover, the valonia aegagropila-shaped Mn₂O₃ anode exhibits a hybrid behavior of battery and supercapacitor according to the electrochemical kinetic analyses. This might open new avenues for the design of manganese-based oxides with various morphologies anode materials to achieve high-performance energy storage.