Hierarchical Tubular Structures Composed of Co3O4 Hollow Nanoparticles and Carbon Nanotubes for Lithium Storage

Hierarchical tubular structures composed of Co3O4 hollow nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been synthesized by an efficient multi-step route. Starting from polymer-cobalt acetate (Co(Ac)(2)) composite nanofibers, uniform polymer-Co(Ac)(2)@zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 (ZIF-67) core-shell nanofibers are first synthesized via partial phase transformation with 2-methylimidazole in ethanol. After the selective dissolution of polymer-Co(Ac)(2) cores, the resulting ZIF-67 tubular structures can be converted into hierarchical CNTs/Co-carbon hybrids by annealing in Ar/H-2 atmosphere. Finally, the hierarchical CNT/Co3O4 microtubes are obtained by a subsequent thermal treatment in air. Impressively, the as-prepared nanocomposite delivers a high reversible capacity of 1281mAhg(-1) at 0.1Ag(-1) with exceptional rate capability and long cycle life over 200 cycles as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries.