Facile in situ co-precipitation synthesis of CuO–NiO/ rGO nanocomposite for lithium-ion battery anodes

Abstract

In this study, using a modified in situ co-precipitation approach, CuO–NiO nanoparticles were confined in reduced graphene oxide (rGO) layers in order to synthesize CuO–NiO/rGO nanocomposite for use as lithium-ion battery anodes. For better comparison between electrochemical properties, CuO/rGO and NiO/rGO nanocomposites were also synthesized. The initial discharge capacity and coulombic efficiency of the resulting CuO–NiO/rGO nanocomposite electrode were found to be 990 mAh/g and 91.5% at a current density of 100 mA/g, respectively, outperforming those of CuO/rGO and NiO/rGO nanocomposites. Our investigations indicated that the intimate interaction of nanoparticles with the rGO as a host material with large surface area and excellent chemical stability was responsible for the high capacity obtained. The rate performance of the nanocomposite electrodes was also carried out, revealing their good cycling properties under high current densities.