Highly efficient Co3O4/CeO2 heterostructure as anode for lithium-ion batteries.

Co3O4 has been extensively studied as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) because of its high theoretical capacity. However, during the charging-discharging processes, the issues of large volume change and low electric conductivity arise, which significantly limit the practical applications of Co3O4. To solve these issues, a Co3O4/CeO2 heterostructure derived from metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) was designed and synthesized through one-step microwave synthesis. Benefiting from the mesoporous structure and presence of hetero-components, Co3O4/CeO2 having the molar ratio of Co/Ce = 5:1 (denoted as 5Co3O4/CeO2) exhibits high reversible capacity and excellent cycling stability when used as an anode material for LIBs. Specifically, compared to a single-phase Co3O4 anode, which shows a capacity of 538.6 mAh/g after 100 cycles, 5Co3O4/CeO2 exhibits a higher capacity (1131.2 mAh/g at 100 mA/g). This study provides a novel strategy for using rare earth components to modify electrode materials.