Temperature-Driven Synthesis of 1D Fe 2 O 3 @3D Graphene Composite Applies as Anode of Lithium-Ion Batteries.

A series of Fe₂O₃-anchored three-dimensional graphene (3DG) composites are synthesized via hydrothermal and annealing methods. The Fe₂O₃ nanocrystals in composites display nanocubes, one-dimensional (1D) nanorods and ellipsoids at hydrothermal temperatures of 120 °C, 150 °C and 180 °C, respectively. Notably, the composite synthesized at 150 °C shows 1D Fe₂O₃ uniformly embedded in 3DG, forming an interpenetrating 1D-3D (three-dimensional) structure. This combined structure is beneficial in improving the electrochemical stability and accelerating the Li⁺ diffusion rate. When used as anode for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), the optimized 1D-3D Fe₂O₃@3DG composite delivers a reversible specific capacity of 1041 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1 A g⁻¹ and maintains a high reversible specific capacity of 775 mAh g⁻¹ after 200 cycles. The superior electrochemical properties of Fe₂O₃@3DG are a result of the stable interpenetrate structure, enhanced conductivity, and buffered volume change. These results suggest that Fe₂O₃@3DG composites have significant potential as advanced anode materials for LIBs and the combined 1D-3D structure also provides inspiration for other electrode material structure design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]