Hybrid CuO-Co3O4 nanosphere/RGO sandwiched composites as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

Hybrid CuO-Co 3 O 4 nanosphere building blocks have been embedded between the layered nanosheets of reduced graphene oxides with a three dimensional (3D) hybrid architecture (CuO-Co 3 O 4 -RGO), which are successfully applied as enhanced anodes for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The CuO-Co 3 O 4 -RGO sandwiched nanostructures exhibit a reversible capacity of ~847 mA·h·g −1 after 200 cycles’ cycling at 100 mA·g −1 with a capacity retention of 79%. The CuO-Co 3 O 4 -RGO compounds show superior electrochemical properties than the comparative CuO-Co 3 O 4 , Co 3 O 4 and CuO anodes, which may be ascribed to the following reasons: the hybridizing multicomponent can probably give the complementary advantages; the mutual benefit of uniformly distributing nanospheres across the layered RGO nanosheets can avoid the agglomeration of both the RGO nanosheets and the CuO-Co 3 O 4 nanospheres; the 3D storage structure as well as the graphene wrapped composite could enhance the electrical conductivity and reduce volume expansion effect associated with the discharge-charge process.