Li-ion charge storage performance of wood-derived carbon fibers@MnO as a battery anode

Wood-derived carbons have been demonstrated to have large specific capacities as the anode materials of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, these carbons generally show low tap density and minor volumetric capacity because of high specific surface area and pore volume. Combination with metal oxide is one of the expected methods to alleviate the obstacles of wood-derived carbons. In this work, the composites of MnO loaded wood-derived carbon fibers (CF@MnO) were prepared viaa simple and environmentally friendly method, showing decreased specific surface area due to the generation of MnO nanoparticles on carbon fibers. Furthermore, the CF@MnO compostites exhibit superior electrochemical performance as anode materials of LIBs, which show high reversible capacity in the range of 529–734 mAh/g at a current density of 100 mA/g. The optimal CF@MnO product (MnO:carbon = 1:2) delivers reversible capacity of 734 and 265.3 mAh/g at current density of 100 and 2000 mA/g, respectively. Besides, the material presents outstanding stability with coulombic efficiency around 100% after 200 cycles at a high current density of 400 mA/g, revealing a potential as promising anode materials for high-performance LIBs.