A facile solution combustion synthesis of nanosized amorphous iron oxide incorporated in a carbon matrix for use as a high-performance lithium ion battery anode material

An amorphous iron oxide–carbon composite has been fabricated through an effective, inexpensive, and scalable method employing solution combustion synthesis. Amorphous iron oxide nanoparticles with diameters of about 5 nm were synthesized and uniformly embedded in a dense carbon matrix. The synthesized composite exhibits enhanced cyclability and rate capability, showing a high reversible capacity of 687 mA h g − 1 after 200 discharge/charge cycles at a current rate of 0.5 A g − 1 , compared to the 400 mA h g − 1 observed for Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles. This enhanced performance was retained despite more demanding conditions, delivering a high capacity of about 525 mA h g − 1 and a nearly perfect coulombic efficiency even after 400 cycles at 1 A g − 1 . The easy production and superior electrochemical properties of this composite suggest that it is a promising material for use as an anode material in high performance lithium ion batteries.