NiCoO2 nanosheets grown on nitrogen-doped porous carbon sphere as a high-performance anode material for lithium-ion batteries

Abstract NiCoO 2 nanosheets grown on nitrogen-doped porous carbon spheres (NiCoO 2 @N-PCs) have been synthesized via a facile approach using gelatin nanospheres (GNSs) as the template, carbon and nitrogen sources. Due to the synergistic effect between the NiCoO 2 nanosheets and N-PCs, the NiCoO 2 @N-PCs composite exhibits an ultrahigh discharge capacity of 978 mAh g −1 at a current density of 200 mA g −1 with minimal capacity loss even after 80 cycles. The superior properties of NiCoO 2 @N-PCs illustrate that amorphous carbon matrix could significantly improve the electrochemical performance of high-capacity metal oxide anode nanomaterials. Findings from this study suggest that these GNSs may be used to synthesize functional metal oxides, including MnO 2 , Fe 2 O 3 , CoO and NiO@N-PCs nanostructures.