Fabrication of Cu@M_xO_y (M = Cu, Mn, Co, Fe) Nanocable Arrays for Lithium-Ion Batteries with Long Cycle Lives and High Rate Capabilities

A new strategy is reported to fabricate Cu@M_xO_y (M = Cu, Mn, Co, Fe) nanocable arrays using five-fold twinned copper (Cu) nanowire (NW) arrays as starting materials, to promote both the cycling stability and high rate capability of M_xO_y as anodes for LIBs. Conductive Cu NW arrays were synthesized on Cu foil via chemical vapor deposition (CVD), followed by the oxidation of their surface so as to form Cu@Cu₂O nanocable arrays. The thickness of the active material (Cu₂O) on the Cu NW arrays can be tuned from 20 nm to 160 nm by simply controlling the oxidation time. Based on this accurate control, the optimal coating thickness of Cu₂O was determined to be around 35 nm. Additionally, the Cu₂O active material shell can be easily transformed to other metal oxides with even higher specific capacities via a "coordinating etching" strategy based on Pearson's principle, resulting in Cu@M_xO_y nanocable arrays (M = Mn, Co, Fe). When applied as electrodes for LIBs, these 3D electrodes show long cycle lives (over 300 cycles) and high rate capabilities.