Hierarchical yolk-shell structured cathodes with controllable composition are potentially attractive materials for the fabrication of lithium-ion batteries, but they are difficult to synthesize. In this work, we prese...Hierarchical yolk-shell structured cathodes with controllable composition are potentially attractive materials for the fabrication of lithium-ion batteries, but they are difficult to synthesize. In this work, we present a simple, scalable, and general morphology-inheritance strategy to synthesize spinel manganese cathodes with a hierarchical yolk-shell structure. Starting from uniform Mn carbonate spheres prepared by an ultrafast and scalable microwave-assisted method, we show that the subsequent sintering results in the formation of Mn203 precursors with a yolk-shell structure, which can be effectively transferred to spinel manganese cathodes via simple impregnation and solid-state reaction. Owing to the simple and scalable nature of the present strategy, materials prepared through this approach have great potential as cathodes of lithium-ion batteries, where they can lead to high specific capacity, outstanding cyclability, and superior rate capability. In particular, both LiMn204 and LiNi05Mn1504 with hierarchical yolk-shell structure achieved nearly theoretical capacity, without any apparent decay after 100 cycles at I C. Moreover, 80% of the initial discharge capacities of both samples can be maintained for up to 500 cycles at a high rate of 10 C.展开更多
文摘Hierarchical yolk-shell structured cathodes with controllable composition are potentially attractive materials for the fabrication of lithium-ion batteries, but they are difficult to synthesize. In this work, we present a simple, scalable, and general morphology-inheritance strategy to synthesize spinel manganese cathodes with a hierarchical yolk-shell structure. Starting from uniform Mn carbonate spheres prepared by an ultrafast and scalable microwave-assisted method, we show that the subsequent sintering results in the formation of Mn203 precursors with a yolk-shell structure, which can be effectively transferred to spinel manganese cathodes via simple impregnation and solid-state reaction. Owing to the simple and scalable nature of the present strategy, materials prepared through this approach have great potential as cathodes of lithium-ion batteries, where they can lead to high specific capacity, outstanding cyclability, and superior rate capability. In particular, both LiMn204 and LiNi05Mn1504 with hierarchical yolk-shell structure achieved nearly theoretical capacity, without any apparent decay after 100 cycles at I C. Moreover, 80% of the initial discharge capacities of both samples can be maintained for up to 500 cycles at a high rate of 10 C.