Functionalized N-doped hollow graphitic carbon-nanotube/carbon -nanosphere composite

Abstract Functionalized and/or heteroatom-doped nanostructured hollow graphitic carbonaceous composites have stimulated extensive interest in many applications due to their distinctive structures and physical properties. However, there are still some amorphous carbons in the graphitic composite matrix, which limit their broader usage. Herein, we report a simple acid-based hydrothermal process to not only selectively decompose the residual amorphous carbon but also functionalize the resulting graphitic hybrid carbon, thereby forming the functionalized N-doped hollow graphitic carbon-nanotube/carbon-nanosphere hybrids. As a lithium-ion battery (LIB) anode, this material has an exceptional reversible capacity of ∼990 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 and remains at ∼850 mAh g−1 after 240 cycles, hence displaying great potential as high-performance carbon-based anodes for LIBs.