Topochemical synthesis of cobalt oxide-based porous nanostructures for high-performance lithium-ion batteries

Two kinds of topochemical conversion routes from cobalt hydroxide precursors to cobalt oxide-based porous nanostructures are presented: pyrolysis in air and hydrothermal treatment by the Kirkendall diffusion effect. These cobalt hydroxide precursors were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal approach with sodium acetate as mineralizer at 200 °C. Detailed proof indicates that the process of cobalt hydroxide precursor growth is dominated by a nucleation, dissolution, renucleation, growth, and exfoliation mechanism. By the topochemical conversion processes several Co(3)O(4) nanostructures, such as cobalt oxide-coated cobalt hydroxide carbonate nanowires, cobalt oxide nanotubes, hollow cobalt oxide spheres, and porous cobalt oxide nanowires, have been synthesized. The obtained Co(3)O(4) nanostructures have also been evaluated as the anode materials in lithium-ion batteries. It was found that the as-prepared Co(3)O(4) nanostructures exhibited high reversible capacity and good cycle performance due to their porous structure and small size.