Porous MnO/pitch carbon composite as an anode material for low-cost and high-performance lithium-ion battery

With the development of lithium-ion batteries, the demand for low-cost and high-performance anode materials is urgent. In this work, an inexpensive porous MnO and pitch carbon composite was synthesized, through a simple solvent-thermal reaction and carbothermal reduction treatment. As an anode material for lithium-ion batteries, the composite exhibits excellent initial capacity (597 mA h g−1) and remarkable reversible capacity (419 mA h g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 after 150 cycles), which is higher than that of pitch carbon. It also shows outstanding rate performance and long cycling stability. The porous structure is conducive to the diffusion of the electrolyte and activation of the active material. The addition of pitch carbon can improve the conductivity of the composite and alleviate the bulk expansion of MnO, thereby achieving stable electrochemical properties. The proposed simple synthesis strategy is expected to promote the development of low-cost anode materials for lithium-ion batteries.