Porous NiO/graphene hybrid film as anode for lithium ion batteries

•NiO/graphene hybrid film is prepared using chemical bath deposition followed by spin-coating.•The hybrid film is composed of interconnected NiO nanosheet arrays with the covering of graphene.•The film can exhibit an initial coulombic efficiency of 85% and a first charge capacity of 885 mA h g−1.

Porous NiO/graphene hybrid film is prepared by a combination of chemical bath deposition and a graphene spin-coating. The material is characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The film has a porous structure, and it is covered by graphene sheets. The electrochemical performance as anode materials for lithium ion batteries is investigated by galvanostatic charge–discharge cycle and cyclic voltammetry. The hybrid film that contains 8 wt% of graphene exhibits an initial charge capacity of 885 mA h g−1 and an initial coulombic efficiency of 85%, and its cycling performance is enhanced significantly compared with that of bare NiO film. It is believed that the porous structure and the covering of graphene play important roles in the electrochemical performance.