Novel metal organic frameworks derived nitrogen-doped porous carbon-covered Co3O4 nanoparticle composites as anode materials for efficient lithium storage

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with porous structures derived from transition metal oxides have been shown to be effective at storing lithium and converting it. During the course of this research, N-doped porous carbon-covered Co 3 O 4 nanoparticle composites (Co 3 O 4 /NC-2) were manufactured by employing a novel cobalt-based MOF as a sacrificial template. The N-doped porous carbon coating improves the electrical conductivity while also reducing the path that Li + takes to diffuse through the material. During this time, the composite’s volume change that occurs during galvanostatic discharge/charge cycles is effectively buffered, and the cycling stability of the composite is improved. As a result, Co 3 O 4 /NC-2 has excellent lithium storage properties. After 100 cycles at 0.1 A g −1 , the reversible capacity of Co 3 O 4 /NC-2 is 884.2 mAh g −1 . Furthermore, Co 3 O 4 /NC-2 has an excellent rate capability. The reversible specific capacity can be recovered to 1124.6 mAh g −1 by increasing the current density from 0.1 A g −1 to 5 A g −1 and back to 0.1 A g −1 . We design and synthesize a novel MOF as a sacrificial template in this paper to provide a simple method for fabricating highly electrochemical electrode materials. Graphical abstract The N-doped porous carbon-coated Co 3 O 4 nanoparticle composite (Co 3 O 4 /NC-2) is obtained by annealing treatment of a novel precursor Co-MOF, and exhibited excellent electrochemical performance as anode materials for Li-ion batteries.