LAUSR

Abstract An ultralight and elastic Co 3 O 4 /melamine-derived carbon foam (Co 3 O 4 /MDCF) nanocomposite was fabricated by utilizing a simple hydrothermal strategy and a subsequent carbonization processing for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). It was observed by scanning electron microscopy that lots of flower ball-like Co 3 O 4 evenly dispersed on three-dimensional MDCF skeleton. The Co 3 O 4 /MDCF nanocomposites were also characterized by N 2 adsorption/desorption isotherms, X-ray powder diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electrochemical techniques. The as-obtained Co 3 O 4 /MDCF nanocomposites could be regarded as promising energy storage materials due to the synergic effect of ultrahigh Li + storage capacity of flower ball-like Co 3 O 4 and high electrical conductivity of MDCF framework. When severed as anode materials for LIBs, the flower ball-like Co 3 O 4 /MDCF nanocomposites exhibited a superior capacity of 1287 mA h g −1 under the current density of 0.2 A g −1 after 100 cycles and kept high stability. The good performance of ultralight and elastic Co 3 O 4 /MDCF nanocomposites shows that it is a promising candidate nanomaterial for LIBs.