Self-Supported Fe-Doped CoP Nanowire Arrays Grown on Carbon Cloth with Enhanced Properties in Lithium-Ion Batteries

The development of novel materials for environmentally friendly and high-energy-density storage devices is important for a sustainable future. Herein, we demonstrate that binder-free Fe-doped CoP nanowire arrays/carbon cloth (Fe-CoP/CC) anode for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) can be successfully synthesized via a simple hydrothermal process combined with low-temperature phosphorization treatment. Structural characterizations show that Fe-CoP nanowires have a mean diameter of about 100 nm and an average length of about 5 μm. As-prepared Fe-CoP/CC presented obviously enhanced electrochemical properties over those of pristine CoP/CC, including high specific capacity up to 1320.7 mAh g–1 at 200 mA g–1, good stability with retention of 76.5% after 140 cycles, and superior rate capability of 525.3 mAh g–1 at 2 A g–1. The excellent electrochemical properties can be ascribed to the special 1D nanowire architecture, the in situ growth on conductive CC for a freestanding anode, as well as the synergy and complementarity of Co and Fe ions. These results indicate that as-prepared Fe-CoP/CC is anticipated to be used in high-performance flexible LIBs and next-generation wearable energy storage systems.