Tuning shell thickness of MnO/C core-shell nanowires for optimum performance of lithium-ion batteries

MnO/C core-shell nanowires with varying carbon shell thickness were synthesized via calcining resorcinol-formaldehyde resin(RF) with different amounts of hydrothermally synthesized MnO2 nanowires. The relationship between the carbon shell thickness and the anode performance of the MnO/C materials was discussed. With a suitable carbon shell thickness(6.8 nm), the MnO/C core-shell nanowires exhibit better cycling and rate performance than those with a smaller or larger thickness. The TEM results show that after 50 cycles, the core-shell structure with this thickness can be retained, which leads to superior performance. This contribution provides a significant guiding model for optimizing the electrochemical performance of MnO/C core-shell materials by controlling the thickness of carbon shells.