3D Hierarchical Microballs Constructed by Intertwined MnO@N-doped Carbon Nanofibers towards Superior Lithium-Storage Properties.

MnO is a promising high-capacity anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), but pristine material suffers short cycle life and poor rate capability, thus hindering the practical application. In this work, a new type of porous MnO microballs stringed with N-doped porous carbon (3DHB-MnO@NC) with a well-connected hierarchical three-dimensional network structure was prepared by the facile self-template method. The 3DHB-MnO@NC electrode can effectively promote the ion/electron transfer and buffer the large volume change of electrode during the electrochemical reaction. As the anode for LIBs, the 3DHB-MnO@NC possesses outstanding cycling performance (1247.7 mA h g-1 after 90 cycles at 200 mA g-1 ) and good rate capabilities (949.6 mA h g-1 after 450 cycles at 1000 mA g-1 ). The facile self-template method of the prepared 3DHB-MnO@NC composite paves a new way for practical applications of MnO in high performance LIBs.