A novel sandwich-like Co3O4/TiO2 composite with greatly enhanced electrochemical performance as anode for lithium ion batteries

An unprecedented unique sandwich-like Co3O4/TiO2 composite (SCT), for which TiO2 nanospindles are embedded inside the porous cube-like structures stacked from Co3O4 nanosheets, was fabricated through a facile hydrothermal method. The composition and morphology were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS). The SCT electrode manifested excellent electrochemical performance with a capacity retention of 668 mAh g(-1) after 120 cycles at 100 mA g(-1), and 785 mA g(-1) after 60 cycles tested successively at 100, 300, 500, 1000, 500, 100 mA g(-1) (each for 10 cycles), which is better than that of the prepared pristine Co3O4 electrode. The unique sandwich-like structure is responsible for the enhanced electrochemical performance. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.