A facile microwave-assisted route to Co(OH)<inf>2</inf> and Co <inf>3</inf>O<inf>4</inf> nanosheet for Li-ion battery

A facile microwave-assisted synthetic route has been successfully developed for preparing hexagonal Co(OH) )2 nanosheets with average width of 2 μm and thickness of 100 nm. Co(OH) )2 can further convert to porous Co3O4 nanosheets via thermal decomposition. Their phases, structures and morphologies were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Both Co(OH) )2 and Co3O4 nanosheets can serve as potential candidates for anodes of Li-ion battery. The electrochemical study revealed that Co(OH) )2 and Co3O4 nanosheets delivered a reversible capacity of 600 and 700 mA h g-1 after 40 cycles, respectively. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) curves also confirmed the relative stability of the as-synthesized electrode materials. This effective microwaveassisted route may be a promising approach for preparing other transition metal hydroxide/oxides for energy applications. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.