Electrochemical performance of carbon/Ni composite fibers from electrospinning as anode material for lithium ion batteries

Carbon fibers with in situ incorporation of nickel were prepared by electrospinning a solution of a polyacrylonitrile dissolved in a dimethylformamide solution with nickel nitrate, followed by thermal treatment. The prepared one-dimensional composite fibers are uniformly dispersed with an electronic conducting Ni network. As an anode material for lithium-ion batteries, their electrochemical behaviors were measured by cyclic voltammetry, constant current density testing and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The carbon/Ni fiber electrode maintains a high reversible capacity of about 457 mA h g−1 after 50 cycles. When tested at different current densities, it shows excellent rate capability with high reversible capacity.