Electrospun composite of ZnO/Cu nanocrystals-implanted carbon fibers as an anode material with high rate capability for lithium ion batteries

The paper reports a novel composite with ZnO and Cu nanocrystals implanted into carbon nanofibers (CNFs) and its lithium storage properties, in particular its high rate performance. Fabrication of the fibrous composite is controllably accomplished utilizing an electrospinning approach. The composite electrode exhibits a high reversible capacity of 812 mA h g^-1 at a current density of 100 mA g^-1 after 50 cycles. Moreover, it shows good rate capability even when cycled at 5000 mA g^-1. This can be attributed to the designed nano-fibrous architecture with active material implantation as well as electroconductive Cu introduction. The interconnected particles of ZnO and Cu on the CNFs ensure a good contact in the composite. Moreover, the one-dimensional CNFs act not only as a supporter with good stability, but also provide a shortened transport pathway for Li ions.