Vertically Aligned NiCo₂O₄ Nanosheet-Encapsulated Carbon Fibers as a Self-Supported Electrode for Superior Li⁺ Storage Performance

Abstract

Binary transition metal oxides (BTMOs) have been explored as promising candidates in rechargeable lithium-ion battery (LIB) anodes due to their high specific capacity and environmental benignity. Herein, 2D ultrathin NiCo2O4 nanosheets vertically grown on a biomass-derived carbon fiber substrate (NCO NSs/BCFs) were obtained by a facile synthetic strategy. The BCF substrate has superior flexibility and mechanical strength and thus not only offers a good support to NCO NSs/BCFs composites, but also provides high-speed paths for electron transport. Furthermore, 2D NiCo2O4 nanosheets grown vertically present a large contact area between the electrode and the electrolyte, which shortens the ions/electrons transport distance. The nanosheets structure can effectively limit the volume change derived from Li+ insertion and extraction, thus improving the stability of the electrode material. Therefore, the synthesized self-supporting NCO NSs/BCFs electrode displays excellent electrochemical performance, such as a large reversible capacity of 1128 mA·h·g−1 after 80 cycles at a current density of 100 mA·g−1 and a good rate capability of 818.5 mA·h·g−1 at 1000 mA·g−1. Undoubtedly, the cheap biomass carbon source and facile synthesis strategy here described can be extended to other composite materials for high-performance energy-storage and conversion devices.

Keywords

• binary transition metal oxide
• NiCo₂O₄ nanosheets
• biomass-derived carbon fibers
• self-supported electrode