Abstract
In recent years, graphene has attracted the interest of many researchers working on LIB anode materials owing to its unique 2D structure, thermal stability, and fast electron transfer. In this work, RGO/Cu/Cu2O nanocomposites were synthesized through a hydrothermal procedure. The as-prepared nanocomposites exhibited a high lithium storage capacity with improved cycling stability and great rate performance, i.e., the discharge capacity was 371.8 mAh/g after 100 cycles at a current density of 500 mA/g. These excellent properties were associated with the sheet structure symmetry of graphene enriched with the multifunctional Cu-Cu2O component, which prevented aggregation and accommodated the volume changes of the anode material during the charge–discharge tests. The RGO/Cu/Cu2O composite conferred to the LIB anode the ability to resist electrode cracking. The approach proposed in this paper can be also generalized for the synthesis of other carbon-based anode materials for LIBs.
Highlights
Nowadays, it is important to design low-cost, high-energy sources that are eco-friendly to minimize the need for energy related to promoting industrial growth
On the surface of graphite oxide (GO), the oxygenic functional groups adsorbed the copper (Cu2+) ions with the help of ethylene glycol (EG) that acted as a reducing agent
The Cu nanoparticles were constantly developed in situ on the nanosheets of reduced graphene oxide (RGO), leading to high loading and good dispersion
Summary
It is important to design low-cost, high-energy sources that are eco-friendly to minimize the need for energy related to promoting industrial growth. The 3D transition series metal oxides (MxOy, where M is Ni or Fe) have improved cyclic performance and very high reversible capacity; they are considered to be prospective candidates for LIBs as anode materials [4,5]. Among the above-mentioned materials, cuprous oxide (Cu2O) is the most important owing to its non-toxicity, low cost, high electrocatalytic activity, and suitable redox potential. Luo et al reported an electrochemical deposition method for the preparation of nanocomposite Cu2O/Cu that revealed great electrochemical activity when used as a sensor for the detection of hydrogen peroxide [19]. A paper reported the synthesis of Cu2O-CuO-RGO composite to improve cyclic performance in supercapacitors [27]. Hollow CuO-Cu2O nanospheres/graphene composites prepared by using a microwave-assisted method have shown significant stability for use in LIBs [28]
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