Facile synthesis of Co(3)O(4)-CeO(2) composite oxide nanotubes and their multifunctional applications for lithium ion batteries and CO oxidation.

In this study, Co3O4-CeO2 composite oxide nanotubes (CCONs) have been fabricated by using a simple electrospinning technique followed subsequent annealing and their multifunctional applications for lithium ion batteries and CO oxidation have also been investigated for the first time. When utilized as attractive anodes for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), the CCONs exhibit good rate capability (497.3mAhg-1 at 2Ag-1), high initial capacity (826.2mAhg-1 at 0.05Ag-1) and improved cycling stability (1286.3mAhg-1 after 180 cycles at 0.1Ag-1 and 300.5mAhg-1 with 63.5% retention after 1500 cycles at 1Ag-1). Furthermore, a preliminary CO catalytic oxidation study has demonstrated that the CCONs samples exhibit high catalytic activity. Thus, these properties endorse CCONs as attractive candidates for both LIBs and CO oxidation and this strategy might open new avenues for the design of a series of transition metal oxides with multicomponent for multifunctional applications.