Synthesis of Co/Co3O4 nanoparticles embedded in porous carbon nanofibers for high performance lithium-ion battery anodes

• DOI: 10.1007/s10934-016-0290-0
• Publication Date: 2016-09-23T08:52:28Z
• Authors: Huiqing Qiu; Yu Wang; Yanyan Liu; Daohao Li; Xiaoyi Zhu; Quan Ji; Fengyu Quan; Yanzhi Xia
• Keywords: 02 engineering and technology; 0210 nano-technology; 7. Clean energy

Co/Co3O4-carbon nanofibers (Co/Co3O4-CNFs) with porous structure were prepared using pyrolysis electrospinning cobalt alginate nanofibers (CoA-NFs) derived from brown algae as the raw material. The phase structure and morphology were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The results indicate Co/Co3O4 nanoparticles with a diameter of about 30–50 nm were embedded in the carbon nanofibers. As anode material for lithium-ion battery (LIBs), the Co/Co3O4-CNFs exhibited a high reversible capacity of 720 mAh g−1, excellent stability (i.e. 710 mAh g−1 at 0.5 C over 100 cycles) and good rate performance (310 mAh g−1 at a rate of 5 C).