Hollow-in-Hollow Carbon Spheres for Lithium-ion Batteries with Superior Capacity and Cyclic Performance

Hollow spheres structured materials have been intensively pursued due to their unique properties for energy storage. In this paper, hollow-in-hollow carbon spheres (HIHCS) with a multi-shelled structure were successfully synthesized using a facile hard-templating procedure. When evaluated as anode material for lithium-ion batteries, the resultant HIHCS anode exhibited superior capacity and cycling stability than HCS. It could deliver reversible capacities of 937, 481, 401, 304 and 236 mAh g(-1) at current densities of 0.1 A g(-1),1 A g(-1), 2 A g(-1), 5 A g(-1) and 10 A g(-1), respectively. And capacity fading is not apparent in 500 cycles at 5 A g(-1). The excellent performance of the HIHCS anode is ascribed to its unique hollow-in-hollow structure and high specific surface area. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.