Hydrothermal preparation of CoO/Ti3C2 composite material for lithium-ion batteries with enhanced electrochemical performance

The CoO/Ti3C2 composite is prepared via a facile hydrothermal route followed by calcination, of which the morphology and the microstructure are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). CoO nanoparticles with the diameter of 10-20 nm are uniformly coated on the surface of Ti3C2 nanosheets, which increases the surface areas and prevents the aggregation of CoO. In addition, the CoO/Ti3C2 composite as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) demonstrates a higher initial discharge capacity of 1389 mAh g−1 with a columbic efficiency of 61% at 100 mAh g−1. The reversible capacity can remain about 313 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles, which is much higher than that of the pure Ti3C2. The present results indicate that CoO/Ti3C2 composite has a potential application in the anode of LIB.