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Graphene membrane encapsulated Co3O4 nanotubes with superior capacity and stability as anode materials for lithium ion batteries

  • Original Paper: Nano-structured materials (particles, fibers, colloids, composites, etc.)
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Abstract

The electrospun Co3O4 nanotubes encapsulated by graphene membrane are successfully synthesized via a novel and efficient method. The Co3O4 nanotubes with the diameter of ~200 nm are prepared by electrospinning combined with sintering process. Graphene is wrapped on the charge-modified surface of Co3O4 nanotubes by the mutual electrostatic interactions. The as-prepared graphene/Co3O4 nanotubes are applied as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries and show the improved rate capacities (up to 430.9 mAh g−1 at the current density of 1600 mA g−1) and excellent rechargeable stability (961.4 mAh g−1 at the current density of 100 mA g−1 after 80 cycles). The existence of graphene membrane not only decreases the lithium ion transport path due to serving as the additional transport channel, but also provides the elastic buffer to avoid the agglomeration of the Co3O4 nanotubes. The nanotubes located in the graphene could effectively prevent the agglomeration of graphene membranes, and consequently keep their high active surface area. The complementary and synergistic effect of Co3O4 nanotubes and graphene makes a great contribution to the outstanding electrochemical properties.

Graphical Abstract

The graphene/Co3O4 nanotubes composites were applied as anode materials and shown excellent electrochemical performance.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Project of Independent Innovation of University Institute of Jinan (Grant No. 201311034), Science and Technology Development Plan Project of Shandong Province (2014GGX102039) and Project of Shandong Province Higher Educational Science and Technology Program (Grant no. J14LA01).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Processing and Testing Technology of Glass & Functional Ceramics, School of Material Science and Engineering, Qilu University of Technology, Jinan, 250353, P. R. China

    Dong Li, Qifang Lu, Enyan Guo, Mingzhi Wei, Zhiliang Xiu & Xueyang Ji

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  1. Dong Li
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  2. Qifang Lu
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  3. Enyan Guo
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Correspondence to Qifang Lu.

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Li, D., Lu, Q., Guo, E. et al. Graphene membrane encapsulated Co3O4 nanotubes with superior capacity and stability as anode materials for lithium ion batteries. J Sol-Gel Sci Technol 82, 75–84 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-016-4274-y

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