High-energy ball-milling for fabrication of CuIn2S4/C composite as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries

In this study, novel CuIn2S4 (CIS) material is synthesized through a hydrothermal technique. The as-prepared materials are characterized the structural, chemical and electrochemical properties. The electrochemical performance is evaluated by utilizing as a novel anode material for Li-ion storage. The pristine CuIn2S4 material used cell exhibits Li-ion reversible capacities of 349 and 176 mAh g−1 at the current densities of 0.2 and 1 A g−1, respectively. Furthermore, to improve the electrochemical performance of pristine CIS modified with carbon black (CIS/C) through high-energy ball-milling technique. The resultant CIS/C composite shows an improving reversible discharge capacity of 717 mAh g−1 at 0.2 A g−1 and 591 mAh g−1 at 1 A g−1, respectively. Moreover, the CIS/C composite preserves a high discharge capacity of 376 mAh g−1 over 500 cycles without cyclic decay at 5 A g−1. Additionally, the ex-situ XRD and cyclic voltammetry (CV) analyses expose a Li-ions stored into CIS via conversion reaction mechanism. Overall, this work indicates that the novel material utilization of energy storage device and improvement of storage performance for future high-energy Li and post Li-ion batteries applications.