Facile synthesis of carbon nanotubes supported NiO nanocomposite and its high performance as lithium-ion battery anode

NiO nanocrystals anchored on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were fabricated via a polyvinylpyrrolidone assisted co-precipitation route. At a current density of 100 mA g(-1), the composite anode delivers an initial reversible capacity of 962 mA h g(-1) and retains the capacity to 601 mA h g(-1) after 50 cycles. In contrast, the reversible capacity of the pure NiO particles faded to 380 mA h g(-1) immediately and then gradually decreased to 278 mA h g(-1) after 50 cycles. The significantly improved electrochemical performance of the NiO/CNT nanocomposite is attributed to the formation of conductive networks by CNTs, and large surface areas of NiO nanoparticles grown on CNTs which stabilizes these nanoparticles against agglomeration and reduces the diffusion length for lithium-ions. The present results indicate that NiO/CNT nanocomposite has potential applications in lithium-ion battery anodes. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.