One-pot synthesis of carbon coated Fe3O4 nanosheets with superior lithium storage capability

Hybrid nanosheet structures based on carbon coated metal oxides still attract promising interest as high-performance electrode materials for next-generation lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). In this study, we develop a simple one-pot solution method to synthesize large-scale flat Fe3O4 nanosheet hybrid structures coated with an amorphous carbon overlayer (denoted as Fe3O4@C NSs) followed by a thermal annealing treatment. It is found that the refluxing temperature plays an important role in adjusting the morphology of the Fe3O4@C hybrid. Increasing the temperature from 140 degrees C to 200 degrees C will lead to flower-like hybrid structures constructed by Fe3O4 nanoflakes gradually growing, rupturing, and finally evolving into flat and completely separate nanoflakes with large size at 200 degrees C. When evaluated as an anode material for LIBs, the hybrid Fe3O4@C NSs demonstrate a high reversible capacity of 1232 mA h g(-1) over 120 cycles at a current density of 200 mA g(-1), and remarkable rate capability.