Highly Ordered Hierarchical Mesoporous MnCo₂O₄ with Cubic Iα3d Symmetry for Electrochemical Energy Storage

Highly ordered cubic I α3 d mesoporous MnCo 2 O 4 with crystalline framework was synthesized through a facile nanocasting method. The obtained mesoporous MnCo 2 O 4 possesses hierarchical porosity with pore sizes of about 5 and 17 nm, respectively, and exhibits an enlarged surface area (133 m 2 /g) compared to binary mesoporous Co 3 O 4 (98.6 m 2 /g) and MnO 2 (75.0 m 2 /g). Significantly, the hierarchical mesoporous structure of MnCo 2 O 4 is beneficial for exposing more electroactive sites, improving the charge transfer and facilitating the ion transport. As a consequence, the mesoporous MnCo 2 O 4 shows a high charge storage performance of 199 mAh g –1 at a current density of 1 A/g, long cycle stability, and excellent rate capacity. This study demonstrates ordered ternary mesoporous materials with controllable porosity that have great potential for high-energy-density electrochemical energy storage.