Upon dealloying a carefully designed CoCuAl ternary alloy in NaOH solution at room temperature, a Co3 O4 /CuO nanocomposite with an interconnected porous microstructure assembled by a secondary structure of nanosheets was successfully fabricated. By using the dealloying strategy, the target metals directly grew to form uniform bimetallic oxide nanocomposites. Owing to the unique hierarchical structure and the synergistic effect of both active electrode materials, the Co3 O4 /CuO nanocomposite exhibits much enhanced electrochemical performance with higher capacities and better cycling stability compared to anodes of pure Co3 O4 . Moreover, it performs excellently in terms of cycle reversibility, Coulombic efficiency, and rate capability, at both low or high current rates. With the advantages of unique performance and ease of preparation, the as-made Co3 O4 /CuO nanocomposite demonstrates promising application potential as an advanced anode material for lithium-ion batteries.
Keywords: cobalt; copper; lithium-ion batteries; metal oxides; porous materials.
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