One-pot hydrothermal synthesis of N-rGO supported Fe2O3 nanoparticles as a superior anode material for lithium-ion batteries

Abstract

Fe2O3 nanoparticles with a diameter of 60–70 nm are uniformly grown on the surface of N-rGO sheets via a facile hydrothermal method to form two-dimensional hybrid nanostructures. When evaluated as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries, this Fe2O3/N-rGO composite exhibits outstanding lithium storage performance, with a high reversible capacity of 1398 mAh g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 after 200 cycles and 652 mAh g−1 at 15 A g−1. The excellent performance of the Fe2O3/N-rGO hybrid can be attributed to the N-rGO sheets that benefit the fast transport of both lithium ions and electrons during electrochemical reactions; besides, the well-dispersed Fe2O3 nanoparticles and the flexible N-rGO substrate could effectively release the volume effect of the Fe2O3 during discharge/charge processes. Due to the unique two-dimensional hybrid nanostructure, Fe2O3/N-rGO composite shows significant pseudocapacitive behavior during discharge/charge processes, which partially accounts for the excellent lithium ion storage performance.