Hierarchically ordered mesoporous Co 3 O 4 materials for high performance Li-ion batteries

Highly ordered mesoporous Co 3 O 4 materials have been prepared via a nanocasting route with three-dimensional KIT-6 and two-dimensional SBA-15 ordered mesoporous silicas as templates and Co(NO 3) 2 · 6H 2 O as precursor. Through changing the hydrothermal treating temperature of the silica template, ordered mesoporous Co 3 O 4 materials with hierarchical structures have been developed. The larger pores around 10 nm provide an efficient transport for Li ions, while the smaller pores between 3-5 nm offer large electrochemically active areas. Electrochemical impedance analysis proves that the hierarchical structure contributes to a lower charge transfer resistance in the mesoporous Co 3 O 4 electrode than the mono-sized structure. High reversible capacities around 1141 mAh g '1 of the hierarchically mesoporous Co 3 O 4 materials are obtained, implying their potential applications for high performance Li-ion batteries.