A comparison study of MnO and MnO as zinc-ion battery cathodes: an experimental and computational investigation.

The high specific capacity, low cost and environmental friendliness make manganese dioxide materials promising cathode materials for zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs). In order to understand the difference between the electrochemical behavior of manganese dioxide materials with different valence states, , Mn(iii) and Mn(iv), we investigated and compared the electrochemical properties of pure MnO and MnO as ZIB cathodes a combined experimental and computational approach. The MnO electrode showed a higher discharging capacity (270.4 mA h g at 0.1 A g) and a superior rate performance (125.7 mA h g at 3 A g) than the MnO electrode (188.2 mA h g at 0.1 A g and 87 mA h g at 3 A g, respectively). The superior performance of the MnO electrode was ascribed to its higher specific surface area, higher electronic conductivity and lower diffusion barrier of Zn compared to the MnO electrode. This study provides a detailed picture of the diversity of manganese dioxide electrodes as ZIB cathodes.