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The energy density and operational life of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) depend sensitively on the properties of electrode materials. Transition metal oxide based electrodes attract much attention because of their potential to offer high energy density. In this study, we report a binder-free composite anode composed of CuO nanosheets and multi-wall carbon nanotubes for LIBs. This composite anode is fabricated by a cost-effective electrophoretic deposition process followed by facile solution immersion. When tested in a LIB, this composite anode delivers a high reversible capacity of 540 mAh g−1 and maintains its capacity retention of above 78% after 50 cycles at a current density of 100 mA g−1, which is much higher than the CuO anode without carbon nanotubes. The high capacity, enhanced rate capability, low resistance, and increased operational life are attributed to the unique architecture of the hybrid electrode. The carbon nanotubes facilitate the electron transfer, enhance the structural stability of CuO nanosheets, and improve the adhesion of the CuO nanosheets to current collector. Such highly porous cross-linked network based on CuO nanosheets and multi-wall carbon nanotubes has great potential as a binder-free anode for high-performance LIBs.

Developing high-performance electrode structures is of great importance for advanced lithium-ion batteries. This study reports an efficient method to fabricate hierarchical shell/core CuO nanowire/carbon fiber composites via electroless plating and thermal oxidation processes. With this method, a binder-free CuO nanowire/carbon fiber shell/core hierarchical network composite anode for lithium-ion batteries is successfully fabricated. The morphology and chemical composition of the anode are characterized, and the electrochemical performance of the anode is investigated by standard electrochemical tests. Owing to the superior properties of carbon fibers and the morphological advantages of CuO nanowires, this composite anode still retains an excellent reversible capacity of 598.2 mAh g −1 with a capacity retention rate above 86%, even after 50 cycles, which is much higher than the CuO anode without carbon fibers. Compared to the typical CuO/C electrode systems, the novel binder-free anode yields a performance close to that of the typical core/shell electrode systems and a much higher reversible capacity and capacity retention than the similar shell/core patterns as well as the anodes with binders. It is believed that this novel anode will pave the way to the development of binder-free anodes in response to the increasing demands for high-power energy storage.