In Situ-Formed Hollow Cobalt Sulfide Wrapped by Reduced Graphene Oxide as an Anode for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries

Transition-metal sulfides have been considered as promising anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to their high theoretical specific capacity and superior electrochemical performance. However, the large volume change during the discharge/charge process causes structural pulverization, resulting in rapid capacity decline and the loss of active materials. Herein, we report Co1-xS hollow spheres formed by in situ growth on reduced graphene oxide layers. When evaluated as an anode material for LIBs, it delivers a specific capacity of 969.8 mAh.g(-1) with a high Coulombic efficiency of 96.49% after 90 cycles. Furthermore, a high reversible capacity of 527.2 mAh.g(-1) after the 107th cycle at a current density of 2.5 A g(-1) is still achieved. The results illustrate that in situ growth on the graphene layers can enhance conductivity and restrain volume expansion of cobalt sulfide compared with ex situ growth.