Fabrication and application of Fe2O3-decorated carbon nanotube fibers via instantaneous Joule-heating method

Abstract

Fe2O3-decorated carbon nanotube fibers (Fe2O3/CNT fibers) exhibit synergistic properties and can be used in flexible electrochemical devices. One of the greatest challenges is to synthesize homogeneous Fe2O3 on CNT fibers. In this paper, we have anchored Fe2O3 nanocrystals compactly and uniformly in CNT fibers via the instantaneous Joule-heating method. By regulating the current intensity, iron catalysts in CNT fibers can be directly converted into Fe2O3 nanocrystals. This method can also prepare Fe2O3 particles of different sizes by adjusting the current value. The distinct structure of Fe2O3/CNT fibers contributed to their excellent electrochemical performance. Because cobaltocene and nickelocene can also be used as catalysts to prepare CNT fibers, this method is expected to be a universal method for the composite of transition metal oxide and CNT fibers.