Dandelion-like mesoporous Co3O4 as anode materials for lithium ion batteries

A dandelion-like mesoporous Co3O4 was fabricated and employed as anode materials of lithium ion batteries (LIBs). The architecture and electrochemical performance of dandelion-like mesoporous Co3O4 were investigated through structure characterization and galvanostatic charge/discharge test. The as-prepared dandelion-like mesoporous Co3O4 consisted of well-distributed nanoneedles (about 40 nm in width and about 5 mu m in length) with rich micropores. Electrochemical experiments illustrated that the as-prepared dandelion-like mesoporous Co3O4 as anode materials of LIBs exhibited high reversible specific capacity of 1430.0 mA h g(-1) and 1013.4 mA h g(-1) at the current density of 0.2 A g(-1) for the first and 100th cycle, respectively. The outstanding lithium storage properties of the as-prepared dandelion-like mesoporous Co3O4 might be attributed to its dandelion-like mesoporous nanostructure together with an open space between adjacent nanoneedle networks promoting the intercalation/deintercalation of lithium ions and the charge transfer on the electrode. The enhanced capacity as well as its high-rate capability made the as-prepared dandelion-like mesoporous Co3O4 to be a good candidate as a high-performance anode material for LIBs.