C(OH) and Its Nanocomposite for High-Performance Lithium Storage.

Organic carbon materials, such as graphene and nanotubes, with a high specific capacity show promise in improving the energy density for lithium ion batteries (LiBs). Here, we report on the synthesis and characterization of C(OH) and the C(OH)/graphene oxide (GO) composite and demonstrate their use as anode materials in LiBs. We find that the C(OH)/GO composite forms due to the chemical reactions between the carboxyl and epoxy groups of GO and the hydroxyl of C(OH) nanoparticles and that C(OH) uniformly grows on the surface of GO nanosheets. Using a suite of spectroscopy probes, we unequivocally show the mixing between C(OH) and GO at the molecular level, which leads to superior battery performances. This composite has a reversible capacity of 1596 mAh g at 0.2 A g, higher than the capacities of C(OH) and GO. This composite has a superior cycling stability and excellent rate performance, making it a promising organic anode material for high-performance LiBs.