Dandelion-like Co ₃ O ₄ mesoporous nanostructures supported by a Cu foam for efficient oxygen evolution and lithium storage

Novel dandelion-like Co3O4 mesoporous nanostructures, supported by a Cu foam, are prepared by a combination of hydrothermal synthesis and annealing. The resulting Co3O4@Cu foam exhibits superior oxygen evolution (Tafel slope = 42.8 mV dec-1) and lithium storage (capacity = 882 mA h g-1@2C after 100 cycles, 1C = 890 mA g-1) properties, which highlight its great promise in the fields of energy storage and conversion.