One-step combustion synthesis to prepare MnNi3O4/Ni nanofoams composites for lithium ion battery anode

Abstract

Thanks to the porous structure, large specific surface area, and excellent electrical conductivity, three-dimensional porous nanofoams current collectors have attracted great interest in the field of energy storage devices. Herein, a facile, low cost, and one-step combustion synthesis is demonstrated to fabricate MnNi3O4/Ni nanofoams composites, and the composites can be directly converted into electrode by simple mechanical compression without the use of current collector, conductive agent, and binder, simplifying the manufacturing process. Due to the unique structure and morphology of Ni nanofoams, the composites electrodes exhibit high capacity and excellent cycle performance. At a rate of 1.44 mA cm−2, it can reach a high area specific capacity of 4.32 mAh cm−2 after 40 cycles. This work proves the superiority of the nanofoams structure, and provides a new way to construct binder-free electrodes for the field of energy storage and conversion.