Facile synthesis of hexagonal NiCo₂O₄ nanoplates as high-performance anode material for Li-ion batteries

Ternary spinal NiCo₂O₄ nanostructure holds great promise as high-performance anode material for next generation Li-ion batteries because of its higher electrical conductivity and electrochemical activity. In this work, two-dimensional hexagonal NiCo₂O₄ nanoplates are synthesized by a simple and cost-effective template-free method through co-precipitation decomposition route using sodium hydroxide as the precipitant followed by annealing in air at 400°C for 2 h. Various characterization methods prove that hexagonal NiCo₂O₄ nanoplates are successfully synthesized by this process and have high amount of mesopores on its surface. The electrochemical study of these hexagonal NiCo₂O₄ nanoplates as Li-ion battery anode shows that the highly mesoporous nanoplate morphology plays an important role in cycling stability and rate capability. As a result, the hexagonal NiCo₂O₄ exhibits a high reversible charge capacity of 918 mAh/g at a current density of 60 mA/g (0.06 C) with excellent capacity retention of 92% up to 50 charge-discharge cycles.