Magnetite nanoparticles embedded on reduced graphene oxide as an anode material for high capacity and long cycle-life Li-ion battery

Abstract

A facile and cost-effective method was developed for the synthesis of “magnetite/reduced graphene oxide” nanocomposite, as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries. The fabricated composite was characterized by different instrumental analyses including XRD, Raman, XPS, SEM, TEM, and FTIR, as well as various electrochemical (i.e. battery) tests. Such broad examination revealed the structure of the prepared material and its electrochemical behavior. It was found that the fabricated composite has a number of advantages over the currently utilized electrode materials such as cost efficiency, high Li ion storage (2528 mAh/g at 0.05 A/g at 1st discharge), cycle stability of 986 mAh/g over 100 cycles at a current density of 0.1 A/g, and eventually Coulombic efficiency of about 100 %. In comparison, the reduced graphene oxide (rGO) shows inferior performances, such as a constant capacity of 462 mAh/g, and a slower kinetics of the ion storage. Consequently, the synthesized low-cost anode material seems to be an attractive candidate for development of the next-generation energy-storage devices, used in electrical vehicles, and portable electronic instruments.