Synthesis of Nano-Sized Co3O4 Powder by Spray Conversion Method for Anode Material of Lithium Battery

Abstract

A nano-sized Co3O4 powder was prepared using a spray conversion method that could be applied for mass production. The spray-conversion process consisted of spray drying of a metallic liquid solution, a calcination treatment, and a ball milling process. The calcined Co3O4 powder consisted of agglomerated spherical clusters with nano-sized particles. After milling for 24 h, agglomerated powders were fragmented into fine powders sized below 60 nm. The lithium/cobalt oxide cell was charge-discharged at a constant current density of 0.2 mAcm−2 and showed a first discharge capacity of 1100 mAhg−1. The discharge capacity of the Li/Co3O4 cell drastically decreased with cycle number. By increasing the carbon content of the anode, the cycle life was improved. For a Co3O4 electrode containing 40 wt.% carbon, the discharge capacity was over 400 mAhg−1 after 50 cycles. The spray conversion method might be a useful method to prepare nano-sized Co3O4 powder for the anode material of lithium batteries.