Mesoporous Co3O4 nanowire arrays for lithium ion batteries with high capacity and rate capability.

We report the high capacity and rate capability of mesoporous Co3O4 nanowire (NW) arrays as anodes in Li ion batteries. At a current of 1C, the NW arrays maintain a capacity of 700 mAh/g after 20 discharge/charge cycles. When the current is increased to 50C, 50% of the capacity can be retained. With their ease of large area synthesis and superior electrochemical properties, these Co3O4 NW arrays will be interesting for practical Li ion batteries.