Ultraporous, Ultrasmall MgMn<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub> Spinel Cathode for a Room-Temperature Magnesium Rechargeable Battery.

Kobayashi, Hiroaki; Fukumi, Yu; Watanabe, Hiroto; Iimura, Reona; Nishimura, Naomi; Mandai, Toshihiko; Tominaga, Yoichi; Nakayama, Masanobu et al. · ACS Nano · 2023

basic_science · Level V

Where this comes from

Abstract

Magnesium rechargeable batteries (MRBs) promise to be the next post lithium-ion batteries that can help meet the increasing demand for high-energy, cost-effective, high-safety energy storage devices. Early prototype MRBs that use molybdenum-sulfide cathodes have low terminal voltages, requiring the development of oxide-based cathodes capable of overcoming the sulfide's low Mg<sup>2+</sup> conductivity. Here, we fabricate an ultraporous (>500 m<sup>2</sup> g<sup>-1</sup>) and ultrasmall (<2.5 nm) cubic spinel MgMn<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub> (MMO) by a freeze-dry assisted room-temperature alcohol reduction process. While the as-fabricated MMO exhibits a discharge capacity of 160 mAh g<sup>-1</sup>, the removal of its surface hydroxy groups by heat-treatment activates it without structural change, improving its discharge capacity to 270 mAh g<sup>-1</sup>─the theoretical capacity at room temperature. These results are made possible by the ultraporous, ultrasmall particles that stabilize the metastable cubic spinel phase, promoting both the Mg<sup>2+</sup> insertion/deintercalation in the MMO and the reversible transformation between the cubic spinel and cubic rock-salt phases.