Electrochemical study of graphene oxide and Co3O4 nanocomposite as an anode material for long-life lithium-ion batteries.

Lithium batteries, as a type of advanced battery technology, have extremely high application value. However, lithium-ion batteries are prone to aging and malfunction after prolonged charging and discharging, which affects their performance. The correct selection of electrode materials can improve the service life of lithium-ion batteries. In order to optimize the electrochemical materials of lithium-ion batteries, this study conducted electrochemical analysis on graphene oxide (GO) and Co3O4 (GO/Co3O4) nanocomposites used as anodes of longacting lithium-ion batteries. The GO/Co3O4 nanocomposites were synthesized by using hydrothermal method, and the properties of GO/Co3O4 nanocomposites were analyzed. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that Co3O4 nanoparticles were uniformly formed on the surface of GO nanosheets. The GO/Co3O4 nanocomposite electrode had 50% by weight (wt) of Co3O4 according to electrochemical characterizations of the GO, Co3O4, and GO/Co3O4 electrodes in lithium-ion batteries. The capacity was found to increase when the Co3O4 content was increased to 50% of the sample, while the capacity decreased as Co3O4 concentration increased. The GO/Co3O4 nanocomposite electrode that contained 50 wt% Co3O4 exhibited excellent cyclic stability, delivering more than 1,115 mA h/g at a current density of 0.1 A/g with minimal capacity loss, a Coulombic efficiency that approached almost 99.5% over 500 cycles, and good capacity retention (95%). Therefore, GO/Co3O4 nanocomposite could be an appropriate electrode material with improved cycling stability. The results of this study provided a good direction for the optimization of electrode materials and electrochemical research in lithium batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]