Interconnected porous MnO nanoflakes for high-performance lithium ion battery anodes

Interconnected porous MnO nanoflakes on nickel foam were prepared by a reduction of hydrothermal synthesized MnO2 precursor in hydrogen. The architectures were applied to lithium ion batteries as electrodes. Compared with the as-synthesized MnO2 anode, porous MnO nanoflakes showed superior cycling stability and rate performance. A high reversible capacity of 568.7 mA h g−1 was obtained at a current density of 246 mA g−1 for the second discharge. It retained a capacity of 708.4 mA h g−1 at the 200th charge–discharge cycle after cycling with various current densities up to 2460 mA g−1 and delivered a capacity of 376.4 mA h g−1 at a current density as high as 2460 mA g−1, indicating that the architecture of the porous MnO nanoflakes grown on Ni foam is a promising electrode for lithium ion batteries.