Electrochemical Performance of Nanostructured PbO@C Obtained by Sol-Gel Method

Nanostructured PbO@C has been synthesized by a sol-gel method. The precursor was heated under Ar atmosphere at 450A degrees C for 5 h to obtain the final product. The sample was characterized by x-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The carbon content of the sample was determined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The electrochemical properties of the sample were investigated using a battery testing system. The results showed that the sample exhibited a morphology of nanospheres with size between 50 nm and 90 nm. The carbon content of the sample was about 24% by weight. After 200 cycles, the discharge capacity of the sample remained at 403 mAh g(-1) at current density of 100 mA g(-1) in the voltage range of 0.01 V to 3 V, much better than that of pure PbO. PbO@C synthesized by this method could be used as a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries after further modification.