Ingenious Interlacement of CoNiO₂ on Carbon Nanotubes for Highly Stable Lithium-Ion Batteries

Abstract

Nickel–cobalt oxide is considered as a promising anode for lithium-ion battery, owing to its high specific capacity, simple synthesis process and high safety. However, like most transition metal oxide anode materials, nickel–cobalt oxide suffers from poor conductivity, easy agglomeration and large volume expansion in the charging and discharging process, causing an inferior cycling lifespan. Here we report a structure design that CoNiO₂ particles are ingeniously interlaced on carbon nanotubes by a simple solvothermal method. These nanotubes are irregularly intertwined to obtain an independent electrode structure with high electronic conductivity, which can also alleviate the notorious volume expansion. Consequently, the corresponding lithium-ion battery shows superior electrochemical performance. It provides a discharge capacity of 1213.7 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.5 A g⁻¹, and can be stable over 100 cycles with a capacity retention of 96.45%. Furthermore, the battery can also deliver a reversible capacity of 544.8 mAh g⁻¹ at the high current density 3 A g⁻¹. This work provides a unique idea for the performance improvement of nickel–cobalt oxide anode for lithium-ion batteries.