title: Co3O4-carbon nanotube heterostructures with bead-on-string architecture for enhanced lithium storage performance.
abstract: In this report, alkylcarboxyl group-decorated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with clustered functionalization patterns are achieved based on a modified Birch reduction in liquid ammonia. By using these functional CNTs (f-CNTs), a new type of Co3O4-CNT heterostructure is prepared via a simple hydrothermal method. SEM and TEM analyses reveal that the as-synthesized Co3O4-CNT heterostructures exhibit bead-on-string architecture, in which the Co3O4 spheres are threaded with CNTs. A possible growth mechanism is proposed to explain the formation of these Co3O4-CNT heterostructures. The electrochemical properties of the Co3O4-CNT heterostructures as anode materials for lithium ion batteries are investigated. The Co3O4-CNT heterostructures display high electrochemical activity, good cycle stability and improved rate performance. Such a large improvement of the electrochemical performance can be related to the robust necklace-like architectures which possess properties such as high mechanical stability, excellent electric conductivity and good strain accommodation.
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory for Nonequilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, School of Science, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, PR China.
authors.forename: Minwei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Sen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Mingshu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Xiaoping
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Song
mesh_terms: D000641:Ammonia / Q000737:chemistry; D003035:Cobalt / Q000737:chemistry*; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D011211:Electric Power Supplies; D007477:Ions / Q000737:chemistry; D008094:Lithium / Q000737:chemistry*; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D010087:Oxides / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D007477:Ions; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D010087:Oxides; D003035:Cobalt; D000641:Ammonia; D008094:Lithium; C060728:cobalt oxide