Graphene sheets decorated with ZnO nanoparticles as anode materials for lithium ion batteries

ZnO/graphene composites were synthesized using a facile solution-based method. Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and Raman spectra revealed that ZnO nanoparticles with a particle size of around 4 nm were densely and homogeneously deposited on graphene sheets. As the anode material for the lithium ion batteries, the ZnO/graphene composites delivered a stable capacity of 404 mAh/g after 100 cycles at a current rate of 0.5 C, which is much superior to bare ZnO nanoparticles. The battery performance result indicates the presence of graphene sheets in the composites effectively enhance the conductivity and accommodate the volume change.