3D graphene encapsulated ZnO-NiO-CuO double-shelled hollow microspheres with enhanced lithium storage properties

ZnO has attracted enormous research interest as anode material in lithium ion batteries due to its large theoretical capacity. Unfortunately, the development of ZnO-based anode materials is greatly bottlenecked by their poor capacity retention and limited cyclic life. Herein, ingeniously designed 3D graphene encapsulated ZnO-NiO-CuO double-shelled hollow microspheres (DSHM@RGO) have been prepared by a facile surfactant-assisted assembly method. Benefiting from their unique features including the large specific surface area, the double-shelled hollow architecture, the modification of graphene and the nanoscale building blocks, the DSHM@RGO anode exhibits enhanced electrochemical performances. A high reversible capacity of 559 mA h g(-1) is delivered after 100 cycles at a current density of 1.0 A g(-1). When cycled at a large current density of 3.0 Ag-1, the as-obtained DHSM@RGO still delivers a relative high specific capacity of 366 mA h g(-1). (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.