Facile synthesis of CuO nanochains as high-rate anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

Copper oxide is a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries. However, rapid capacity fading associated with huge volume variation upon the (de)lithiation of CuO has limited its practical application. To address this problem, herein, we report the fabrication of one-dimensional CuO nanochains via a facile wet chemical route. The chain structure consists of particles, with an average crystallite dimension of ca. 20-25 nm, connected through well-knit junctions, which helps to promote charge transfer at the electrode|electrolyte interface and accommodate the volume variation of the oxide. Due to these structural merits, the CuO nanochains exhibited excellent rate performance and stable electrochemistry versus Li, which could be promising anode materials for high-power Li-ion batteries.