High-rate performance electrospun Na0.44MnO2 nanofibers as cathode material for sodium-ion batteries

Abstract

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are considered as one of the most promising candidates to replace lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), because of their similar electrochemical properties, and geographical limitations of lithium. However, searching for the appropriate cathode materials for SIBs that can accommodate structure change during the insertion and extraction of sodium ions is facing great challenges due to the relatively larger size of sodium ion. Na0.44MnO2 has recently attracted significant attention because its crystal structure exhibits two types of large channels formed by MnO6 octahedra and MnO5 square pyramids, which facilitate the transportation of sodium ions. However, suffering from the slow kinetics and structural degradation, its rate performance is still not satisfied. Here, we report the fabrication of two types of Na0.44MnO2 hierarchical structures by optimized electrospinning and controlled subsequent annealing process. One is nanofiber (NF) which demonstrates a superior rate performance with reversible specific capacity of 69.5 mAh g−1 at 10 C, attributed to its one-dimensional (1D) ultralong and continuous fibrous network structure; the other is nanorod (NR) which exhibits an excellent cyclic performance with reversible specific capacity of 120 mAh g−1 after 140 cycles, due to its large S-shaped tunnel structure with a single crystalline structure.