Study on the Performance of MnFe2O4 as Anode Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries Using Spent Alkaline Zn-Mn Batteries as Manganese Source

In this work, we report the electrochemical properties of MnFe2O4 as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries using spent Zn-Mn batteries as raw materials by three different methods: sol-gel method, hydrothermal method in glycol and hydrothermal method in water. The materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), particle size analysis and charge-discharge test. The result showed that the material synthesized by hydrothermal in water shows the best cycle performance of all, the initial discharge specific capacity of MnFe2O4 prepared by this process was 1096 mA h g(-1). Moreover, even after 100 cycles, the MnFe2O4 electrode remains 150 mA h g(-1). These results of this investigation demonstrate that the process MnFe2O4 prepared by using the spent Zn-Mn batteries as manganese source presents an alternative way for spent alkaline Zn-Mn batteries recycling.