Solution combustion synthesis of a nanometer-scale Co₃O₄ anode material for Li-ion batteries

A novel solution combustion synthesis of nanoscale spinel-structured Co₃O₄ powder was proposed in this work. The obtained material was composed of loosely arranged nanoparticles whose average diameter was about 36 nm. The as-prepared cobalt oxide powder was also tested as the anode material for Li-ion batteries and revealed specific capacities of 1060 and 533 mAh·g^-1 after 100 cycles at charge-discharge current densities of 100 and 500 mA·g^-1, respectively. Moreover, electrochemical measurements indicate that even though the synthesized nanomaterial possesses a low active surface area, it exhibits a relatively high specific capacity measured at 100 mA·g^-1 after 100 cycles and a quite good rate capability at current densities between 50 and 5000 mA·g^-1.