A nanoporous carbon (C) material, functionalized with Cobalt-Oxide/Cobalt
(CoO/Co) core-shell nanoparticles (NPs), was structurally and chemically
characterized with transmission electron microcopy (TEM) while its
electrochemical response for Lithium ion battery (LIB) applications was
evaluated as well. The results herein show that the nanoporous C material was
uniformly functionalized with the CoO/Co core-shell NPs. Further the NPs were
crystalline with fcc-type lattice on the Co2+ oxide shell
and hcp-type core of metallic Co0. The electrochemical study was
carried out by using galvanostatic charge/discharge cycling at a current density
of 1000 mA g−1. The potential of this hybrid material for
LIB applications was confirmed and it is attributed to the successful dispersion
of the Co2+/ Co0 NPs in the C support.