Nickel-promoted manganese oxide as a high-performing anode material in lithium-ion batteries

Lithium-ion batteries (LIB) are widely used in portable electronics and electric vehicles due to their high energy density, long cycle life, and low self-discharge rate. Advances in materials science continue to improve their performance, making them a critical component in the transition to sustainable energy solutions. Manganese oxides have attracted attention in battery chemistry due to their diverse nanostructures, multiple oxidation states, and low cost. However, their application is hindered by fast capacity fading and low power density. Herein, we present the synthesis of nickel-doped mesoporous manganese oxide using an inverse micelle method. Introducing nickel into the system brings higher energy density and increased efficiency. Nickel doping improves the catalytic activity of manganese oxide via a synergistic impact (Mn-Ni), oxygen vacancies, and oxygen mobility. By carefully designing the morphology and focusing on the material’s electronic properties, we obtained a Mn 3 O 4 phase with uniformly dispersed nickel (3, 5, and 10 mol.%). Structural characterization (SEM, TEM, XPS, BET) was done to identify the material further. Li-ion half-cells were assembled to evaluate electrochemical properties. When used as an anode material for LIBs, all nickel-doped manganese oxides showed better Li + storage capacity than the pristine Mn 3 O 4 , and the 5% weight nickel-doped manganese oxide had the highest specific capacity. The 5% Ni-Mn 3 O 4 material had an initial specific capacity of 251 mAh/g up to 5 cycles at 100 mA/g. The specific capacity gradually increased, reaching a maximum of 500 mAh/g after 350 cycles. The impressive two-fold increase in the Li + storage capacity can be attributed to the phase change of manganese oxide from Mn 3 O 4 to MnO/MnO 2.