Performance Improvements of Cobalt Oxide Cathodes for Rechargeable Lithium Batteries

Porous lithium cobalt oxide fabricated from metal-organic frameworks as a high-rate cathode for lithium-ion batteries

Porous materials have many applications, such as energy storage, as catalysts and adsorption etc. Nevertheless, facile synthesis of porous materials remains a challenge. In this work, porous lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) is fabricated directly from Co-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs, ZIF-67) and lithium salt via a facile solid state annealing approach. The temperature affect on the microstructure of LiCoO2 is also investigated. The as-prepared LiCoO2 shows a uniform porous structure. As a cathode for a lithium-ion battery (LIB), the LiCoO2 delivers excellent stability and superior rate capability. The as-prepared porous LiCoO2 delivers a reversible capacity of 106.5 mA h g-1 at 2C and with stable capacity retention of 96.4% even after 100 cycles. This work may provide an alternative pathway for the preparation of porous materials with broader applications.