title: Facile fabrication of hierarchical ZnCo2O4/NiO core/shell nanowire arrays with improved lithium-ion battery performance.
abstract: We report a facile and controllable strategy for the fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) ZnCo2O4/NiO core/shell nanowire arrays (ZCO/NiO NWs) on nickel (Ni) foam substrates by a simple, cost-effective, two-step, solution-based method. Ultra-thin NiO nanosheets are revealed to grow uniformly on the porous ZnCo2O4 nanowires with many interparticle mesopores, resulting in the formation of 3D core/shell nanowire arrays with hierarchical architecture. In comparison with the pristine ZnCo2O4 nanowire arrays (ZCO NWs), the ZCO/NiO NWs exhibit significantly improved Li storage properties, in terms of higher capacity, enhanced rate capability and improved cycling stability when applied as binders and additive-free anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. The superior Li storage performance of the ZCO/NiO NWs could be attributed to the synergetic effect between the ZnCo2O4 core and the NiO shell, as well as its unique hierarchical architecture, which ensures a large specific surface area and good conductivity. Our results may offer very useful guidelines in scrupulously designing 3D core/shell nanowire-array electrodes using cheap, earth-abundant materials in energy storage applications.
authors.affiliation: Division of Physics and Applied Physics, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 637371, Singapore. yuting@ntu.edu.sg.
authors.forename: Zhipeng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ai
authors.forename: Jilei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xiaoying
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: Yanlong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jianhui
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yu