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Highly graphitized carbon nanosheets with embedded Ni nanocrystals as anode for Li-ion batteries

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Abstract

A C/Ni composite was prepared via thermal decomposition of a nickel oleate complex at 700 °C, yielding disperse Ni nanocrystals with an average size of 20 nm, encapsulated by carbon nanosheets as deduced from transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images and confirmed from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Furthermore, the X-ray diffraction pattern revealed a good ordering of the carbon layers, forced by the Ni encapsulation to adopt a bending structure. Considering the close interaction between the graphitized framework and the metallic nanoparticles we have studied the properties of the composite as an anode for Li-ion batteries. Compared with other nanostructured synthetic carbons, this carbon composite has a low voltage hysteresis and a modest irreversible capacity value, properties that play a significant role in its behaviour as electrodes in full cell configuration. At moderate rate values, 0.25 C, the electrode delivers an average capacity value around 723 mAh·g−1 on cycling, among the highest values so far reported for this carbon type. At higher rate values, 1 C, the average capacity values delivered by the cell on cycling decrease, around 205 mAh·g−1, but it maintains good capacity retention, a coulombic efficiency close to 100% after the first cycles and recovery of the capacity values when the rate is restored from 3 to 0.1 C.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (No. MAT2017-87541-R) and Junta de Andalucía (Group FQM-175). F. J. S. gratefully acknowledges UCO for fellowship “Universidad de Córdoba. Becas Semillero de Investigación”. E. R. C. thanks to project RTI2018-099668-BC22 of Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, and project UMA18-FEDERJA-126 of Junta de Andalucía and FEDER funds. J. C. V. also acknowledges financial Support from UCLM through the 2019-GRIN-27165 grant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dpto. Química Inorgánica e Ingeniería Química, Instituto de Química Fina y Nanoquímica, Universidad de Córdoba, 14071, Córdoba, Spain

    Francisco Javier Soler-Piña, Celia Hernández-Rentero, Alvaro Caballero & Julián Morales

  2. Dpto. Química Inorgánica, Cristalografía y Mineralogía, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, 29071, Málaga, Spain

    Enrique Rodríguez-Castellón

  3. Instituto de Energías Renovables, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Paseo de La Investigación 1, 02071, Albacete, Spain

    Jesús Canales-Vázquez

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  1. Francisco Javier Soler-Piña
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  2. Celia Hernández-Rentero
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  3. Alvaro Caballero
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  4. Julián Morales
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Correspondence to Alvaro Caballero or Julián Morales.

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Soler-Piña, F.J., Hernández-Rentero, C., Caballero, A. et al. Highly graphitized carbon nanosheets with embedded Ni nanocrystals as anode for Li-ion batteries. Nano Res. 13, 86–94 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-019-2576-4

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