Exploring Fe3O4@C Nanocomposites as Anode Materials for Lithium

The lithium-ion battery (LIB) is widely used in electric vehicles and portable devices such as mobile phones and laptops. However, the current LIBs have limitations in terms of specific capacity and rate performance, making it difficult to meet the increasing demand for long working time in electronic devices.

To address this issue, researchers have been exploring new anode materials with high specific capacity and cycling stability. One promising material is ferroferric oxide (Fe3O4), which has a high theoretical specific capacity, low cost, and eco-friendliness. However, Fe3O4 suffers from fast capacity decay and poor charge transfer properties.

To overcome these disadvantages, different strategies have been employed to enhance the structural stability and electrical conductivity of Fe3O4. Nanostructured Fe3O4, such as nanoparticles and nanorods, have been synthesized to alleviate stress and reduce Li/Li+ diffusion distance. Carbon-coated Fe3O4 nanocomposites and graphene-wrapped nano-Fe3O4 have also been developed to improve cycling stability by serving as a buffer and enhancing charge transfer.

Furthermore, the construction of yolk-shell or other hollow structures has been explored to achieve unique structural effects. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been used as precursors to prepare functional porous materials with desired shapes. Various [email protected] nanocomposites have been synthesized and exhibited excellent electrochemical performance as anode materials for LIBs.

In this work, a large-scale application method was presented to prepare [email protected] nanocomposites with controllable morphologies. The nanocomposites showed outstanding electrochemical performances, including impressive cycling performance and high-rate capability.

The [email protected] nanocomposites were synthesized by carbonizing the plasma-assisted ball-milled ferrocene precursor. The phase components and morphology of the nanocomposites were examined using XRD, SEM, and STEM. The carbon content was determined using TG analysis, and the pore structure and specific surface area were evaluated by nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms. Raman spectra and XPS were also performed for further analysis.

Electrochemical measurements were conducted using the synthesized [email protected] nanocomposites. The nanocomposites were coated on Cu foil to assemble button batteries. The charge/discharge measurements were performed using a battery test system.

Overall, the [email protected] nanocomposites showed promising potential as anode materials for LIBs, with improved specific capacity, cycling stability, and high-rate capability.