Template-free fabrication of porous CuCo2O4 hollow spheres and their application in lithium ion batteries

In this study, we develop a simple template-free strategy to fabricate uniform porous CuCo2O4 hollow spheres. The shells of the as-synthesized CuCo2O4 hierarchical hollow nanostructures are composed of primary nanoparticle units, leading to a superior specific surface area of 51 m2 g−1. When applied in lithium ion batteries, the porous CuCo2O4 hollow spheres show excellent lithium storage performance, which could deliver a high specific capacity of 930 mAh g−1 after 150 cycles for half-cell and 660 mAh g−1 after 50 cycles for full cell. The good electrochemical properties of the as-synthesized porous CuCo2O4 hollow spheres can be attributed to their unique porous structure, which is beneficial for shorting lithium ion-electron transmission path and alleviating the structural strain of volume change.