Carbon-coated ZnO Nanocomposite Microspheres as Anode Materials for Lithium-ion Batteries.

The carbon-coated ZnO nanospheres materials have been synthesized via a simple hydrothermal method. The effect of carbon content on the microstructure, morphology and electrochemical performance of the materials was investigated by XRD, Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and electrochemical techniques. Research results show that the spherical ZnO/C material with a carbon cladding content of 10% is very homogeneous and approximately 200 nm in size. The electrochemical performances of the ZnO/C nanospheres as an anode materials are examines. The ZnO/C exhibits better stability than pure ZnO, excellent lithium storage properties as well as improved circulation performance. The Coulomb efficiency of the ZnO/C with 10% carbon coated content reaches 98%. The improvement of electrochemical performance can be attributed to the carbon layer on the ZnO surface. The large volume change of ZnO during the charge-discharge process can be effectively relieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]