Facile synthesis of porous hollow Co3O4 microfibers derived-from metal-organic frameworks as an advanced anode for lithium ion batteries

Co3O4, as a promising anode material for the next generation lithium ion batteries to replace graphite, displays high theoretical capacity (890 mAh g−1) and excellent electrochemical properties. However, the drawbacks of its poor cycle performance caused by large volume changes during charge-discharge process and low initial coulombic efficiency due to large irreversible reaction impede its practical application. Herein, we have developed a porous hollow Co3O4 microfiber with 500 nm diameter and 60 nm wall thickness synthesized via a facile chemical precipitation method with subsequent thermal decomposition. As an advanced anode for lithium ion batteries, the porous hollow Co3O4 microfibers deliver an obviously enhanced electrochemical property in terms of lithium storage capacity (1177.4 mA h g−1 at 100 mA g−1), initial coulombic efficiency (82.9%) and cycle performance (76.6% capacity retention at 200th cycle). This enhancement could be attributed to the well-designed microstructure of porous hollow Co3O4 microfibers, which could increase the contact surface area between electrolyte and active materials and accommodate the volume variations via additional void space during cycling.