Superparamagnetic nickel–substituted manganese ferrite (Mn0.8Ni0.2Fe2O4) nanoplates as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

Abstract

Nanoplates of nickel-substituted manganese ferrite (M0.8Ni0.2Fe2O4) with side-length of 8 ± 2 nm were fabricated by coprecipitation route. The samples were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy, which confirmed the formation of single phase crystalline nanoparticles with plate–like morphologies. Magnetic properties were investigated by vibrating sample magnetometer at room temperature and by zero-field cooled (ZFC) and field cooled (FC) M(T) measurements in the temperature range 20–300 K, which revealed the superparamagnetic nature of the samples with blocking temperature of about 90 K. Benefited from the plate-like morphology of the samples, the electrochemical performance was tested in lithium ion batteries, which shows the initial discharge and charge capacities of ∼1050 mAhg−1 and ∼900 mAhg−1 for the first cycle and excellent coulombic efficiency of higher than 95% after the ten subsequent cycles. This work demonstrates the possibility of using plate–like M0.8Ni0.2Fe2O4 nanoparticles as the anode materials for lithium-ion batteries.