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Uniform MnO2 nanostructures supported on hierarchically porous carbon as efficient electrocatalysts for rechargeable Li-O2 batteries

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Abstract

Through in situ redox deposition and growth of MnO2 nanostructures on hierarchically porous carbon (HPC), a MnO2/HPC hybrid has been synthesized and employed as cathode catalyst for non-aqueous Li-O2 batteries. Owing to the mild synthetic conditions, MnO2 was uniformly distributed on the surface of the carbon support, without destroying the hierarchical porous nanostructure. As a result, the as-prepared MnO2/HPC nanocomposite exhibits excellent Li-O2 battery performance, including low charge overpotential, good rate capacity and long cycle stability up to 300 cycles with controlling capacity of 1,000 mAh·g−1. A combination of the multi-scale porous network of the shell-connected carbon support and the highly dispersed MnO2 nanostructure benefits the transportation of ions, oxygen and electrons and contributes to the excellent electrode performance.

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Correspondence to Fangyi Cheng or Jun Chen.

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Han, X., Cheng, F., Chen, C. et al. Uniform MnO2 nanostructures supported on hierarchically porous carbon as efficient electrocatalysts for rechargeable Li-O2 batteries. Nano Res. 8, 156–164 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-014-0604-y

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