Electrochemical One-Step Synthesis of Cu2O with Tunable Oxygen Defects and Their Electrochemical Performance in Li-Ion Batteries

We report a facile galvanic oxidation corrosion method for the preparation of cuprite nanocrystals (Cu2O) with controllable oxygen vacancies. The Cu2O microspheres have been employed as active anode materials in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), exhibiting excellent electrochemical performance. The effect of oxygen vacancies on the electrochemical properties was studied. The oxygen vacancy-rich Cu2O electrodes exhibited a high specific discharge capacity (1002.3 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C) and remarkable reversibility. Oxygen vacancies in Cu2O not only promote high electronic conductivity but also provide additional active sites for lithiation/delithiation, further enhancing electrochemical performance. Furthermore, the formation mechanism of Cu2O during the galvanic oxidation–corrosion process has been proposed.