Template Preparation of Copper‐Based Chalcogenides and their Electrochemical Performance for Li‐ion Batteries.

Transition‐Metal chalcogenides have high Li‐ion storage capacity and considerable cycle performance, which has attracted great interest from researchers and is expected to replace graphite materials in the field of Li ion batteries. The purpose of this paper is to find a low‐cost and ecofriendly method for producing copper‐based chalcogenides as anodes with a high capacity and long cycling stability for lithium ion batteries. In our strategy, carbon nanospheres are used as templates to prepare precursor Cu(OH)2@C. Then, the Cu(OH)2@C is converted into copper‐based chalcogenides by different routes. The structure and morphology of the as‐synthesized materials is characterized by the X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The anode electrochemical performance of the samples was investigated by galvanostatic cycling (GC) vs. Li/Li+ at different current rate. Compared to other copper chalcogenides, the synthesized copper oxide shows better charge/discharge cycle stability and rate performance. Its capacity retention is as high as 128 % at a current density of 0.5 C after 200 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]