A Simple Synthesis of Co3O4 Nanoparticles Decorated on Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Hybrid Material for Rechargeable Li-Ion and Li-Air Batteries

The synthesis and electrochemical performances of the Co3O4/CNT composite in rechargeble Li-ion and Li-air batteries are investigated in the present work. Uniform sized Co3O4 nanoparticles firmly attached to the multi-walled carbon nanotubes have been synthesized using a simple chemical method. The synthesized Co3O4/CNT composite worked as a very appealing anode material for Li-ion batteries by delivering stable cycle life and high reversible capacities of 602 mAh g(-1)at 500 mA g(-1), which is higher than that of conventionally available graphite electrode and comparable with those reported for Co3O4/graphene composites. When applied to Li-air cells, the Co3O4/CNT air electrodes exhibited steady cycle behavior with lower overpotentials than carbon electrodes, highlighting the good catalytic efficiency of the composite. The multi-walled carbon nanotubes in this integrated nanocomposite serve as the buffering matrix to minimize the Co3O4 volume changes during its electrochemical and catalytic reactions and can capable to improve the resultsnat composite electronic conductivity thus improving composite electrochemical performance.