The Synthesis and Characterization of Cerium Carbonate Hydroxide Nanorods as an Anode for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Nanorods cerium carbonate hydroxide, CeCO3OH, was synthesized through a low-temperature reaction route. The data of x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy revealed that the as-prepared samples were CeCO3OH nanorods. The diameters of the nanorods were in the range of 50–100 nm, and the lengths were around 300–500 nm. As an anode of a lithium ion battery, the charge–discharge capacity, cyclability and lithium-ion diffusion kinetics of CeCO3OH nanorods were investigated. The calculated lithium ion diffusion coefficient was 1.36 × 10−19 cm2 s−1. The initial discharge capacity was about 621.6 mA h g−1 at 0.2 mA cm−2 in 0.05–2.5 V. After 100 cycles, the discharge capacity stabilized at about 362 mA h g−1 and the Coulombic efficiency was nearly 98%, indicating the potential application in anodes of lithium-ion batteries.