Dandelion-like hollow microspheres of CuO as anode material for lithium-ion batteries

Highly porous microspheres of CuO with a dandelion-like hollow structure were prepared by a hydrothermal synthesis method. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, galvanostatic cell cycling and cyclic voltammetry were employed to characterize the structure and electrochemical performance of this unique CuO powder. This CuO electrode showed stable good capacity retention with a reversible capacity of over 600 mA h g−1 during up to 50 cycles. This method may be suitable for larger-scale production of these CuO hollow microspheres for practical applications.