Investigation of Cu doped flake-NiO as an anode material for lithium ion batteries

Cu foil is widely used in commercial lithium ion batteries as the current collector of anode materials with excellent conductivity and stability. In this research, commercial Cu foil was chosen as the current collector and substrate for the synthesis of Cu doped flake-NiO via a traditional hydrothermal method. The effect of the ratio of Cu and the calcination temperature on the electrochemical performance of NiO was investigated. The structure and phase composition of the Cu doped flake-NiO electrode were studied through X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and inductive coupled plasma emission spectrometry (ICP). The electrochemical properties of the Cu doped flake-NiO electrode were studied through cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and a galvanostatic charge–discharge cycling technique. According to the results, the Cu-doped NiO electrode, calcined at 400 °C with a molar ratio of Cu : Ni = 1 : 8, exhibited a high reversible charge capacity. The good cycling stability and rate performance indicate that the as-prepared electrode can be applied as a potential anode for lithium ion batteries.