Electrochemical properties of LiCoO2/nanocarbon composites fabricated from organic liquids

We fabricated LiCoO2/carbon composites by forming helical carbon nanomaterials (HCNs) from organic liquids as carbon sources on the surface of LiCoO2 particles by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and estimated their electrochemical properties as cathodes of rechargeable lithium cells. By scanning electron microscopy measurements, we observed HCNs called carbon nanotwists formed on the surface of LiCoO2 particles. X-ray diffraction measurements suggested that acetic acid supplies LiCoO2/HCNs with less decomposition of LiCoO2 than C2H2 does. However, we found that the electrochemical properties of cells containing the composites were not as good as those of cells containing acetylene black (AB).