Enhanced Electrochemical Performance of Carbon-Composited Co 3 O 4 Microspheres as Anode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Cobalt (II, III) oxide (Co O ) has recently gained attention as an alternative anode material to commercial graphite in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to its superior safety and large theoretical capacity of about 890 mAh g . However, its practical application is limited by poor electrical conductivity and rapid capacity degradation because of significant volume increases and structural strain during repeated lithiation/delithiation cycles. To address these issues, this work presents a novel approach to synthesizing carbon-composited Co O microspheres (Co O @C), using abietic acid (AA) as a carbon source to increase conductivity and structural stability. The resulting Co O @C anodes show an impressive discharge capacity of 1557.4 mAh g after 200 cycling processes at a current density of 0.1 C, representing a significant improvement over bare Co O . This study demonstrates the potential of carbon-compositing as a strategy to mitigate the limitations of Co O and extend its cyclability, making it a viable candidate for next-generation LIB anodes.