Enhanced electrochemical performance of nanosheet ZnO/reduced graphene oxide composites as anode for lithium-ion batteries

•We fabricated ZnO/rGO composites by electrostatic spray deposition.•We investigated the morphology, crystal, and their electrochemical properties.•The ZnO/rGO samples as anode for LIBs showed high and stable specific capacity.•The enhanced property of samples might be derived from their nanosheet structures.

The ZnO/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composites were deposited directly on nickel foam current collectors by electrostatic spray deposition technique. The morphology and crystal structure of as-deposited samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, respectively. Their electrochemical properties were investigated by galvanostatic cycling and cyclic voltammograms tests. The electrochemical measurement results showed that ZnO/rGO composite films possessed a high and stable specific capacity. After rate capability test for 200 cycles, the ZnO/rGO composites still exhibited a specific capacity of 360 mAh g−1 on average at current density of 0.2 A g−1. The enhanced electrochemical performances of ZnO/rGO composite films might be derived from nano-enabled structures and enhanced kinetics by introduction of reduced grapheme oxides.

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