Enhanced rate capabilities of Co3O4/carbon nanotube anodes for lithium ion battery applications

Co3O4 nanoparticles with a mass loading over 70 wt% are homogeneously grown on super-aligned carbon nanotube films using a pyrolysis method with Co(NO3)2 as a precursor. Benefiting from the flexible and highly conductive carbon nanotube scaffold, the Co3O4/carbon nanotube composite electrode exhibits great cycling stability (910 mA h g−1 after 50 cycles at 0.1 C) as well as excellent rate performance (820 mA h g−1 at 1 C), and can be considered as a promising anode material for high performance lithium ion batteries.