Deposition of Nanocrystal Co3O4 on Graphene Nanosheets as Anode Materials for Lithium Ion Batteries

We report a facile strategy to synthesize the nanocomposite of Co3O4 nanoparticles anchored on conducting graphene as an advanced anode material for high-performance lithium-ion batteries. The nanocomposite was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron spectroscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It was found that the Co3O4 nanoparticles obtained are 10-30 nm in size and homogeneously anchor on graphene sheets as spacers to keep the neighboring sheets separated. The electrochemical properties of this Co3O4/grapheme nanocomposite as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries is evaluated. The nanocomposite displays superior Li-battery performance with the high capacity, superior rate capability, and excellent cyclic stability