Catkin-derived carbon microtubes for hybrid anode materials of high-performance lithium ion batteries

Abstract

As a common biological waste, catkin shows negligible economic value and is hazardous to the environment and human respiratory health. To turn waste into treasure, in this work, a hybrid anode is successfully prepared by using the catkin-derived 1D hollow carbon microtube as dispersing agents to well disperse the MnO particles via a simple one-step pyrolysis method. Benefiting from the high electrical conductivity and hollow microtubule structure of the catkin-derived carbon, as well as the evenly dispersion of the MnO particles and the interfacial energy storage of Mn0/Li2O interfaces, the lithium ion battery based on the resultant MnO/C hybrid anode exhibits outstanding rate performance (high reversible specific capacity of 1365 mAh g−1 at a current density of 0.1 A g−1 and maintains 451 mAh g−1 even at a high current density of 6.4 A g−1) and superior cycling stability (retains ∼100 % after 1000 cycles at a current density of 0.8 A g−1). This work conforms to the development concept of green environmental protection and realizes the unity of economic and social benefits.