Cobalt Oxide Nanocubes Encapsulated in Graphene Aerogel as Integrated Anodes for Lithium‐Ion Batteries

Abstract

AbstractThe development of metal oxides as anodes of lithium‐ion batteries is severely limited because of their poor conductivity and serious volume expansion during the cycles. This work focuses on the improvement of electronic conductivity and cycle stability of metal oxides. The nanocubes of Prussian blue analogues are firstly encapsulated in the network of graphene aerogel (GA), and then the Co3O4@GA composites are synthesized after the subsequent calcination treatment. The resulting products are used as free‐standing and high‐performance anodes of LIBs, and the optimal electrode delivers a specific capacity of 624 mAh g−1 at 100 mA g−1 after 100 cycles together with a good cycle stability. The extraordinary lithium‐storage performances can be ascribed to the synergistic interaction between metal oxides and GA substrate. The incorporation of GA improves the electrode conductivity and alleviates the aggregation and volume expansion of metal oxide particles upon cycling, whereas cobalt oxides contribute a high specific capacity.