Higher‐capacity lithium batteries can be fabricated by using α‐MnO2 nanowires as the catalyst in a porous, composite oxygen cathode. In the depicted scanning electron micrograph of a composite positive electrode, deposits of Li2O2, which accumulates during discharge, can be seen within a porous matrix consisting of α‐MnO2 and carbon.

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A simple and efficient approach is developed for the synthesis of copper oxide nanorods with different morphology and crystallographic structure. Polycrystalline fine rods 10−20 nm thick and several hundred nanometers long and single crystalline thick rods 60−100 nm thick and up to 1 μm long were obtained from the reactions of copper hydrate with caustic soda solution at room temperature and 100 °C, respectively. The fine CuO nanorods as anode materials for Li ion battery exhibit a high electrochemical capacity of 766 mA h/g and relatively poor capacity retention as compared to thick nanorods with the single crystalline structure. The correlation between the structural features of the nanorods and their electrode performance is discussed in detail.