Facile Self-Assembly Solvothermal Preparation of CuO/Cu2O/CoalBased Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanosheet Composites as an Anode for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries

Copper oxide is considered as a potential anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), which have attracted huge amounts of research ardor owning to the high capacity and ultrahigh theoretical capacity, twice that of a graphite anode. However, the practical application of the copper oxide anodes is hindered by their inherent properties, including low conductivity and huge volume variation of active materials during the lithiation reaction. Consequently, a novel CuO/Cu2O/coal-based reduced graphene oxide nanosheet composite (CCO/CRGO) with porous structure and conductive network was constructed via a mild solvothermal self-assembly method. Thanks to the unique structure, which facilitates the electronic transference and ion diffusion while also easing the volume expansion of copper oxides, the obtained CCO/CRGO anode exhibits a higher reversible capacity of 586 mAh g(-1) at 1 A g(-1) with impressive stability, and the capacity restored to 767 mAh g(-1) when the current density reduced to 0.1 A g(-1). Electrochemical kinetic analysis of CCO/CRGO indicates that the capacitive contribution is the most of the capacity stems, which can improve the rate performance of the CCO/CRGO electrode. Considering the desirable electrochemical performance and the simple synthesis route, CCO/CRGO may be a candidate when used as an anode material for high-rate LIBs.

Automated summary

The novel CuO/Cu2O/coal-based reduced graphene oxide nanosheet composite shows higher reversible capacity and stability, making it a potential candidate for high-rate lithium-ion battery anode materials.