Hydrothermal synthesis of manganese oxides/carbon nanotubes composites as anode materials for lithium ion batteries

Abstract Mn 3 O 4 nanoparticles and Mn 3 O 4 /carbon nanotubes (CNTs) composites are prepared via a hydrothermal synthesis method. MnO and MnO/CNTs composites are obtained by heating Mn 3 O 4 and Mn 3 O 4 /CNTs at 500 for 3 h in flowing Ar/H 2 . The phase structure, composition and morphology of the composites are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The electrochemical properties of the composite electrodes are studied by performing cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge and discharge tests. The results reveal that the Mn 3 O 4 /CNTs and MnO/CNTs electrodes exhibit higher specific capacity at the current density of 100 mAh g −1 and a better cycle performance than pure Mn 3 O 4 and MnO electrodes. The excellent electrochemical properties of Mn 3 O 4 /CNTs and MnO/CNTs electrodes can be attributed to the presence of CNTs in the composites offering an electron conducting network and suppressing the volume expansion of Mn 3 O 4 and MnO particles efficiently during the charge and discharge processes.