Preparation and Electrochemical Properties of Pomegranate-Shaped Fe2O3/C Anodes for Li-ion Batteries

Due to the severe volume expansion and poor cycle stability, transition metal oxide anode is still not meeting the commercial utilization. We herein demonstrate the synthetic method of core-shell pomegranate-shaped Fe2O3/C nano-composite via one-step hydrothermal process for the first time. The electrochemical performances were measured as anode material for Li-ion batteries. It exhibits excellent cycling performance, which sustains 705 mAh g-1 reversible capacities after 100 cycles at 100 mA g-1. The anodes also showed good rate stability with discharge capacities of 480 mAh g-1 when cycling at a rate of 2000 mA g-1. The excellent Li storage properties can be attributed to the unique core-shell pomegranate structure, which can not only ensure good electrical conductivity for active Fe2O3, but also accommodate huge volume change during cycles as well as facilitate the fast diffusion of Li ion.