Prepartion and electrochemical performance of a cerium oxide–graphene nanocomposite as the anode material of a lithium ion battery

A nanocomposite of CeO2–graphene was prepared by a simple hydrothermal method and its electrochemical properties were investigated as a possible anode material for lithium ion batteries. Morphological characterization revealed that quasi-spherical CeO2 particles with a size of ∼100 nm were dispersed randomly on the graphene matrix. The nanocomposite shows a greater capacity for reversal and a better performance rate than a bare CeO2 electrode. The better electrochemical performance could be attributed to the unique structure of the nanocomposite, which combines the conductive graphene network with dispersed CeO2 particles.