High stability graphene oxide aerogel supported ultrafine Fe3O4 particles with superior performance as a Li-ion battery anode

Abstract

Herein we report a facile redox deposition method for the construction of a hybrid assembly composed of ultrafine Fe3O4 particles on partially reduced graphene oxide (Fe3O4@PrGO) for Li-ion battery anodes, at which Fe3O4 particles of 20–30 nm size have effectively decorate the PrGO aerogel. The hybrid structure improves the number of active material sites accessible by the electrolyte, and provides an enhanced lithium and electron transport pathway. The material has demonstrated up to 2136 mAhg−1 reversible capacity after 100 cycles at a current density of 0.5 Ag-1 and excellent cyclability at 1 Ag-1 even after 600 cycles of operation. The superior lithium-ion transport kinetics, which is mainly due to effective attachment of the pulverized Fe3O4 particles of 1–2 nm size to the 3D PrGO network, enabled the cell to exhibit 480 mAhg−1 capacity even at a very high discharging rate of 10 Ag-1. The achieved capacity upon electrochemical cycling has been fully recovered even after a long time of ageing, highlighting its potential to replace the conventional graphite as a robust and high-performance anode material.1