Co3O4 nanospheres composed of highly interconnected nanoparticles for boosting Li-Ion storage

Co 3 O 4 with high theoretical capacity and easily controllable structure attracts significant attention as the anode material for lithium-ion battery. In this work, Co 3 O 4 nanocubes, nanospheres and nanosheet clusters are prepared through a solvo-thermal procedure by altering the solvent compositions . When used as the anode material for lithium-ion battery, Co 3 O 4 nanospheres with a diameter of 500–800 nm composed of highly interconnected nanoparticles with 30 nm in diameter exhibit the optimal electrochemical performances. It exhibits an ultrahigh specific capacity of 1455 mAh g −1  at 0.2C. When the discharge current density increases 50 times, the electrode still delivers a specific capacity of 743 mAh g −1 . And it retains a high discharge capacity of 1262 mAh g −1 after 100 cycles at 0.1C. The relatively high specific surface area and porosity, as well as the stable structure, compactness of the solid electrolyte interphase film formed on the electrode are found to be the main factors for the excellent lithium storage performance of Co 3 O 4 nanospheres.