Mesocrystal Co3O4 nanoplatelets as high capacity anode materials for Li-ion batteries

Faceted crystals with exposed highly reactive planes have attracted intensive investigations for applications. Herein, we demonstrate a general synthetic method to prepare mesocrystal Co3O4 with predominantly exposed {111} reactive facets by the in situ thermal decomposition from Co(OH)2 nanoplatelets. The mesocrystal feature was identified by field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, and N2 isotherm analyses. When applied as anode material in lithium-ion batteries, mesocrystal Co3O4 nanoplatelets delivered a high specific capacity and an outstanding high rate performance. The superior electrochemical performance should be ascribed to the predominantly exposed {111} active facets and highly accessible surfaces. This synthetic strategy could be extended to prepare other mesocrystal functional nanomaterials.