Facile preparation of CoSb2O6/rGO composite as the anode material of lithium-ion batteries

•The CoSb2O6/rGO composite was synthesized via a sol–gel method.•Lithium storage mechanisms of CoSb2O6 were explored via ex-suit XRD.•The rGO effectively improved the electrochemical performance of CoSb2O6. CoSb2O6/rGO composite was prepared by sol–gel and evaluated for the first time as anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The ex-situ XRD revealed the lithium storage mechanism of CoSb2O6, indicating that its capacity is mainly provided by the conversion reaction. The results show that CoSb2O6/rGO has better cycling stability and higher cycling rate than pristine CoSb2O6, with a reversible capacity of 693.0 mAh/g after 100 cycles at a current density of 0.1 A/g. This is due to the introduction of reduced graphene oxide (rGO), which can effectively buffer the volume expansion during lithiation/delithiation and maintain the the structural stability of the electrode, and facilitate the transfer of lithium ions and electrons during the cycling process. Based on these results, the CoSb2O6/rGO has the potential to be used as anode material for LIBs.