'Powder electrodeposition' synthesis of NiO-Ni/CNTs composites with high performances of lithium storage battery

The combination of active materials and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) provides an effective way to enhance battery capacity and optimize cycle performance. In the present study, the powder electrodeposition technology is employed to synthesize the NiO-Ni/CNTs composite for the first time. This technique contains the following steps. The CNTs are negatively charged by pre-discharge in lithium-ion batteries. Then, the negatived CNTs are uniformly dispersed in the NiCl2 plating solution by electrostatic repulsion, and the Ni ions are in situ reduced and deposited onto the CNTs. The close combination of CNTs and NiO-Ni improves the overall conductivity and structural stability. As electrode of lithium-ion battery, the reversible capacity is improved due to the coordination of the Ni metal in the mixture of the composite electrode. Besides, the reversible capacity of the composite electrode is 851 mAh g-1 at 50 mA g-1 after 50 cycles. The “Powder Electrodeposition” method in the current work provides a new way for the preparation of other similar powder composite materials. Furthermore, the problem that the traditional electrodeposition process is difficult to apply in the powder materials will be solved.