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

•Superparamagnetic Mn0.8Ni0.2Fe2O4 nanoplates with plate-length of 8 nm were fabricated.•Structural analysis confirmed the crystalline plate-like morphology of the samples.•Magnetic studies confirmed superparamagnetism with blocking temperature of 90 K.•Electrochemical study revealed better discharge-charge capacities with best efficiency.

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.

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