Affiliations 

  • 1 Energy Storage Research Group, Faculty of Ocean Engineering Technology and Informatics, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Nerus 21300, Terengganu, Malaysia
  • 2 Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, National Defence University of Malaysia, Kem Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur 57000, Malaysia
  • 3 Center for Ionics University of Malaya, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
  • 4 Advance Nano Materials (ANOMA) Research Group, Faculty of Science and Marine Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Nerus 21300, Terengganu, Malaysia
  • 5 Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember, Surabaya 60111, Indonesia
Nanomaterials (Basel), 2023 Feb 15;13(4).
PMID: 36839100 DOI: 10.3390/nano13040732

Abstract

Currently, efforts to address the energy needs of large-scale power applications have expedited the development of sodium-ion (Na-ion) batteries. Transition-metal oxides, including Mn2O3, are promising for low-cost, eco-friendly energy storage/conversion. Due to its high theoretical capacity, Mn2O3 is worth exploring as an anode material for Na-ion batteries; however, its actual application is constrained by low electrical conductivity and capacity fading. Herein, we attempt to overcome the problems related to Mn2O3 with heteroatom-doped reduced graphene oxide (rGO) aerogels synthesised via the hydrothermal method with a subsequent freeze-drying process. The cubic Mn2O3 particles with an average size of 0.5-1.5 µm are distributed to both sides of heteroatom-doped rGO aerogels layers. Results indicate that heteroatom-doped rGO aerogels may serve as an efficient ion transport channel for electrolyte ion transport in Mn2O3. After 100 cycles, the electrodes retained their capacities of 242, 325, and 277 mAh g-1, for Mn2O3/rGO, Mn2O3/nitrogen-rGO, and Mn2O3/nitrogen, sulphur-rGO aerogels, respectively. Doping Mn2O3 with heteroatom-doped rGO aerogels increased its electrical conductivity and buffered volume change during charge/discharge, resulting in high capacity and stable cycling performance. The synergistic effects of heteroatom doping and the three-dimensional porous structure network of rGO aerogels are responsible for their excellent electrochemical performances.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.