Helical carbon nanofibers-supported MnSiO3 for high-performance lithium-ion battery anode materials

Abstract

Metal silicates are regarded as promising candidates for lithium-ion batteries due to their high capacity, ease of synthesis, and environmental friendliness. Unfortunately, the challenge of enhancing the electrical conductivity of metal silicates represents a significant obstacle in this field. In this study, a simple and controllable two-step method was used to design and prepare the novel helical carbon nanofibers@manganese silicate (HCNFs@MnSiO₃) anode composite, in which the size of MnSiO₃ nanoparticles are about 20 nm. After 200 cycles at 200 mA g⁻¹, the HCNFs@MnSiO₃ anode exhibits an excellent reversible specific capacity of 878.1 mA h/g, which is 158 % higher than that of the MnSiO₃ anode. The synergistic interaction of HCNFs and MnSiO₃ is primarily responsible for the enhanced electrochemical performance of HCNFs@MnSiO₃. A robust supportive network space is offered by the three-dimensional helical structure of HCNFs to allow for the volume expansion of MnSiO₃ during charging and discharging. Furthermore, MnSiO₃′s low electrical conductivity is enhanced by HCNFs’ high electrical conductivity. The development of high-performance lithium-ion batteries using metal silicate-based anode materials is aided by the useful reference provided by this study.