Low-temperature growth of well-crystalline Co3O4 hexagonal nanodisks as anode material for lithium-ion batteries

Uniform hexagonal-shaped cobalt oxide (Co₃O₄) nanodisks were prepared in large scale via facile aqueous solution based hydrothermal process at 110 °C. The detailed structural characterizations confirmed that the synthesized products are hexagonal cobalt oxide nanodisks, possessing very well-crystalline cubic spinel structure. A coin cell of type −2032 was assembled using the synthesized Co₃O₄ nanodisks and its charge–discharge profile was analyzed between the voltages 0.01 and to 2.5 V vs. Li/Li⁺ reference electrode. The electrochemical cell composed of Li/Co₃O₄ delivered an initial lithium insertion capacity of 2039 mAh/g. Although the cell exhibited high irreversible capacity during the first four cycles, the columbic efficiency has been improved upon cycling.