Improved electrochemical property of Pb(NO3)2 by carbon black, graphene and carbon nanotube

As a novel anode material for lithium-ion batteries, Pb(NO3)(2) can deliver an initial discharge capacity as high as 1310.8 mAh g(-1). However, its capacity retention is poor upon repeated cycles. In this work, carbon black (CB), graphene (GN) and carbon nanotube (CNT) are used as conductive additives to fabricate Pb(NO3)(2)/CB, Pb(NO3)(2)/GN and Pb(NO3)(2)/CNT, respectively. It is observed that CB and GN fail to form uniform three-dimensional conductive network for Pb(NO3)(2). As a result, Pb(NO3)(2)/CB and Pb(NO3)(2)/GN do not show obviously improved electrochemical properties compared to bare Pb(NO3)(2). For comparison, CNTs provide cross-linking conductive cages for Pb(NO3)(2) particles. It can be found that CNT coating can significantly enhance the electrochemical property of Pb(NO3)(2). Pb(NO3)(2)/CNT reveals a reversible charge capacity of 495.2 mAh g(-1) after 45 cycles at a current density of 50 mA g(-1), which is much higher than that of bare Pb(NO3)(2) (227.4 mAh g(-1)), Pb(NO3)(2)/CB (278.0 mAh g(-1)), Pb(NO3)(2)/GN (327.2 mAh g(-1)). Even cycled at 200 mA g(-1), Pb(NO3)(2)/CNT can maintain a reversible lithium storage capacity of 411.7 mAh g(-1). All these results suggest that Pb(NO3)(2)/CNT is a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.