MnO/C cubo-polyhedrons derived from α-MnO2@ZIF-8 as anode materials for high-performance lithium-ion batteries

In this work, MnO/C cubo-polyhedrons were successfully constructed with carbonizing α-MnO2@ZIF-8 precursors synthesized using sea urchin shaped α-MnO2 microspheres as a template. The as-prepared samples possess an irregular polyhedral cubic structure matrix coated with a thin carbon layer, characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). When exploited as an anode material for LIBs, MnO/C cubo-polyhedrons exhibit a high initial specific capacity of 1217.5 mA h g−1 at a current density of 0.1 A g−1, outstanding long cycling performance with a reversible capacity of 1308 mA h g−1 at 0.2 A g−1 for the 500th cycle and superior rate performance. Thus, MnO/C cubo-polyhedrons provide a new insight into the development of anode materials for next-generation high performance lithium ion batteries.