Porous Hollow Superlattice NiMn(2)O(4)/NiCo(2)O(4) Mesocrystals as a Highly Reversible Anode Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries

As a promising high-capacity anode material for Li-ion batteries, NiMn(2)O(4) always suffers from the poor intrinsic conductivity and the architectural collapse originating from the volume expansion during cycle. Herein, a combined structure and architecture modulation is proposed to tackle concurrently the two handicaps, via a facile and well-controlled solvothermal approach to synthesize NiMn(2)O(4)/NiCo(2)O(4) mesocrystals with superlattice structure and hollow multi-porous architecture. It is demonstrated that the obtained NiCo(1.5)Mn(0.5)O(4) sample is made up of a new mixed-phase NiMn(2)O(4)/NiCo(2)O(4) compound system, with a high charge capacity of 532.2 mAh g(−1) with 90.4% capacity retention after 100 cycles at a current density of 1 A g(−1). The enhanced electrochemical performance can be attributed to the synergistic effects of the superlattice structure and the hollow multi-porous architecture of the NiMn(2)O(4)/NiCo(2)O(4) compound. The superlattice structure can improve ionic conductivity to enhance charge transport kinetics of the bulk material, while the hollow multi-porous architecture can provide enough void spaces to alleviate the architectural change during cycling, and shorten the lithium ions diffusion and electron-transportation distances.