C₆₀(OH)₁₂ and Its Nanocomposite for High-Performance Lithium Storage

Abstract

Organic carbon materials, such as graphene and nanotubes, with a high specific capacity show promise in improving the energy density for lithium ion batteries (LiBs). Here, we report on the synthesis and characterization of C₆₀(OH)₁₂ and the C₆₀(OH)₁₂/graphene oxide (GO) composite and demonstrate their use as anode materials in LiBs. We find that the C₆₀(OH)₁₂/GO composite forms due to the chemical reactions between the carboxyl and epoxy groups of GO and the hydroxyl of C₆₀(OH)₁₂ nanoparticles and that C₆₀(OH)₁₂ uniformly grows on the surface of GO nanosheets. Using a suite of spectroscopy probes, we unequivocally show the mixing between C₆₀(OH)₁₂ and GO at the molecular level, which leads to superior battery performances. This composite has a reversible capacity of 1596 mAh g^-1 at 0.2 A g^-1, higher than the capacities of C₆₀(OH)₁₂ and GO. This composite has a superior cycling stability and excellent rate performance, making it a promising organic anode material for high-performance LiBs.