Synthesis and electrochemical performances of Mn x Co y Ni z CO3

Abstract

The hydrothermal method was used to synthesize microstructured MnxCoyNizCO3. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Energy-dispersive spectroscopy was used to analyze the contents of the elements in different samples. The electrochemical properties of the samples were investigated by a comprehensive battery testing system. The results showed that sample-1 (Mn0.714Co0.143Ni0.143CO3) and sample-2 (Mn0.769Co0.154Ni0.077CO3) were formed under different conditions. Both of the samples took on the morphology of microspheres with diameters between 3 and 6 μm. Electrochemical tests demonstrated that sample-1 featured better electrochemical performance than sample-2 and showed a higher reversible discharge capacity of 754 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles at the current density of 100 mA g−1 in the voltage range of 0.01–3 V. Hence, ternary manganese–nickel–cobalt carbonates with suitable composition could be used as high-capacity anode materials for lithium-ion battery application.