Synthesis of Nano-CuCo2O4 with High Electrochemical Performance as Anode Material in Lithium-Ion Batteries

In this paper, nano-CuCo2O4 was synthesized by a hydrothermal method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy were used to characterize the structure and morphology of the obtained powder, respectively. The XRD figure␣demonstrated that a high purity phase of CuCo2O4 with spinel structure has been prepared. Particle sizes ranged from 22 nm to 26 nm. A charge–discharge mechanism was suggested based on the result of a cycle voltammetry experiment. Meanwhile, the charge–discharge test of CuCo2O4 as the anodic coating for a lithium-ion battery was carried out at 0.2 mA cm−2 in the voltage range of 0.05–3.0 V. The first discharge capacity reached a very high value of 1509 mAh g−1. After ten cycles, the capacity retention was 99.2% with reference to the 10th cycle. This indicates that the CuCo2O4 anode will be a novel potential anode material for lithium-ion batteries.