Morphological evolution and electrochemical cycling for enhanced electrochemical activity of MnCo-layered double hydroxide

We report a stepwise morphological evolution of MnCo-layered double hydroxide (LDH) cubes with the hydrothermal reaction time. The electrochemical performance of the fabricated electrode at each step was studied in detail. The obtained MnCo-LDH exhibited maximum areal capacities of 1.58 Ccm⁻² (at a scan rate of 5 mVs⁻¹) and 1.89 Ccm⁻² (at an applied current of 3 mA), good rate capability (74% at a scan rate of 100 mVs⁻¹), and excellent energy efficiency (80% at an applied current of 4.5 mA). The electrochemical performances of all synthesized electrodes were enhanced during the electrochemical cycling, which led to morphological modifications. In addition, for practical applications, we fabricated an asymmetric cell based on the MnCo-LDH and activated carbon electrode and studied its electrochemical performance in detail.