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Exploring Aluminum‐Ion Insertion into Magnesium‐Doped Manjiroite (MnO 2 ) Nanorods in Aqueous Solution
Author(s) -
Joseph Jickson,
Fernando Joseph F. S.,
Sayeed Md Abu,
Tang Cheng,
Golberg Dmitri,
Du Aijun,
Ostrikov Kostya Ken,
O'Mullane Anthony P.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
chemelectrochem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.182
H-Index - 59
ISSN - 2196-0216
DOI - 10.1002/celc.202001408
Subject(s) - nanorod , materials science , x ray photoelectron spectroscopy , aqueous solution , electrode , ion , electrochemistry , chemical engineering , nanomaterials , intercalation (chemistry) , transmission electron microscopy , nanotechnology , inorganic chemistry , chemistry , organic chemistry , engineering
Aqueous aluminum‐ion batteries are promising for sustainable energy storage given the abundance of aluminum and the ease of recycling. However, finding suitable electrode materials that can intercalate Al ions remains challenging. Here, we investigate Mg‐ion‐doped MnO 2 nanorods in the manjiroite structure that allow Al‐ion insertion into the open tunnels of this material. The electrode material is characterized before and after Al‐ion insertion with X‐ray diffraction and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and the insertion process is studied via in situ transmission electron microscopy, which highlights a change in the length of the MnO 2 nanorod. The results indicate that Al ions can be successfully inserted into the MnO 2 nanorods, which has also been determined by density functional theory calculations to be an energetically favorable process. The electrochemical data indicate that diffusion‐controlled Al insertion as well as a surface pseudocapacitive effect occur. This indicates that MnO 2 nanomaterials synthesized in the presence of metal cations is potentially a viable route for facilitating their use as electrode materials in aqueous Al‐ion batteries or supercapatteries.