Hierarchical MnO/Graphene Microflowers Fabricated via a Selective Dissolution Strategy for Alkali-Metal-Ion Storage.

MnO is a potential anode for alkali-metal (Li/Na/K)-ion batteries because of the high capacity, abundant resources, and eco-friendliness. However, its ion storage performance is limited by poor electronic conductivity and large volume expansion during the charging/discharging process. In this study, we presented a facile dissolution strategy to fabricate ultrathin nanosheet-assembled hierarchical MnO/graphene microflowers, realizing enhanced alkali-metal-ion storage performance. The synthetic mechanism was proven as the selective dissolution of vanadium via controlled experiments with different reaction times. The as-synthesized composites showed high lithium storage capacity (about 900 mA h g) and superior cyclability (∼400 mA h g after 500 cycles). In addition, when evaluated as a Na-ion battery anode, the reversible capacity of about 200 mA h g was attained, which remained at 167 mA h g after 200 cycles. Moreover, to the best of our knowledge, the potassium storage properties of MnO were evaluated for the first time and a reversible capacity of about 230 mA h g was achieved. We believe that our findings will be instructive for future investigations of high-capacity anode materials for alkali-metal-ion batteries.