Novel synthesis of holey reduced graphene oxide (HRGO) by microwave irradiation method for anode in lithium-ion batteries

In this work, holey reduced graphene oxide (HRGO) was synthesized by the deposition of silver (Ag) nanoparticles onto the reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sheets followed by nitric acid treatment to remove Ag nanoparticles by microwave irradiation to form a porous structure. The HRGO were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultra violet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Raman spectroscopy. These novel HRGO exhibited high rate capability with excellent cycling stability as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries. The results have shown an excellent electrochemical response in terms of charge/discharge capacity (423 mAh/g at 100 mA/g). The cyclic performance was also exceptional as a high reversible capacity (400 mAh/g at 100 mA/g) was retained for 100 charge/discharge cycles. This fascinating electrochemical performance can be ascribed to their specific porous structure (2–5 nm pores) and high surface area (457 m2/g), providing numerous active sites for Li+ insertion, high electrical conductivity, low charge-transfer resistance across the electrolyte–electrode interface and improved structural stability against the local volume change during Li+ insertion–extraction. Such electrodes are envisioned to be mass scalable with relatively simple and low-cost fabrication procedures, thereby providing a clear pathway toward commercialization.