Porous MnCo2O4 as superior anode material over MnCo2O4 nanoparticles for rechargeable lithium ion batteries

This paper highlights the novel synthesis of porous MnCo2O4 by the use of two-step facile and low-cost pyro−synthesis method. Since, pyro−synthesis is a method to uniformly coat the nanoparticles by layer of carbon without using any conventional carbon source, the resultant carbon coating can be evaporated in the form of CO or CO2 at high temperature with the creation of large number of nanopores on the sample surface. Hence, a porous MnCo2O4 is successfully synthesized here with full of the intrapores and interparticle pores, which is more beneficial for strain buffering as well as to easily access the electrolyte through these nanopores into the bulk of the sample and allow rapid access of Li+ ions during charge/discharge cycling. When tested as anode materials for lithium ion battery application, porous MnCo2O4 electrode shows high capacity with long lifespan at all the investigated current rates in comparison to MnCo2O4 nanoparticles electrode.195