Hierarchical porous Co3O4 spheres fabricated by modified solvothermal method as anode material in Li-ion batteries

Hierarchical porous Co3O4 spheres were synthesized by a solvothermal method followed by high-temperature calcination. XRD, SEM, TEM and electrochemical tests were used to study the structure and performance of the hierarchical porous Co3O4 spheres. The results show that the Co3O4 synthesized at a calcination temperature of 700 °C (Co3O4-700) is micro-sized spheres (1–2 μm) consisting of plentiful nanoparticles (50–200 nm) and numerous pores (~100 nm). Due to its numerous porous morphology, the Co3O4-700 anode exhibits the highest cycling performance with excellent reversible discharge and charge specific capacities of 745 and 755 mA·h/g at the current density of 100 mA/g after 100 charge–discharge cycles, respectively.