Molecular Precursor-Driven Synthesis of Copper Telluride Nanostructures for LIB Anode Application

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Electrochemistry

Background:

• Copper tellurides are promising for electrocatalysis, battery anodes, and photodetectors.
• Synthesizing phase-pure metal tellurides via multi-source methods is challenging.
• A facile synthesis protocol for copper tellurides is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a facile single-source molecular precursor pathway for copper telluride nanostructures.
• To synthesize orthorhombic-Cu₂.₈₆Te₂ nano blocks and orthorhombic-Cu₃₁Te₂₄ faceted nanocrystals.
• To evaluate the synthesized copper tellurides as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries.

Main Methods:

• A single-source molecular precursor, [Cu{TeC₅H₃(Me-5)N}]₄, was used for thermolysis and pyrolysis.
• Characterization involved powder X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, electron microscopy (SEM, TEM), and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy.
• Synthesized nanostructures were tested as anode materials in lithium-ion batteries.

Main Results:

• Orthorhombic-Cu₂.₈₆Te₂ nano blocks and orthorhombic-Cu₃₁Te₂₄ faceted nanocrystals were successfully synthesized.
• Characterization confirmed crystal structure, phase purity, elemental composition, morphology, and optical band gap.
• Lithium-ion battery cells using orthorhombic-Cu₂.₈₆Te₂ and orthorhombic-Cu₃₁Te₂₄ anodes delivered capacities of 68 and 118 mA h/g after 100 cycles, respectively.
• The Cu₃₁Te₂₄ anode exhibited good cyclability and mechanical stability.

Conclusions:

• A facile single-source precursor method enables the synthesis of different copper telluride nanostructures.
• The synthesized copper tellurides are viable anode materials for lithium-ion batteries.
• Cu₃₁Te₂₄ nanocrystals demonstrate promising performance for lithium-ion battery applications.