One-Step Route to Fe2O3 and FeSe2 Nanoparticles Loaded on Carbon-Sheet for Lithium Storage

Iron-based anode materials, such as Fe2O3 and FeSe2 have attracted widespread attention for lithium-ion batteries due to their high capacities. However, the capacity decays seriously because of poor conductivity and severe volume expansion. Designing nanostructures combined with carbon are effective means to improve cycling stability. In this work, ultra-small Fe2O3 nanoparticles loaded on a carbon framework were synthesized through a one-step thermal decomposition of the commercial C15H21FeO6 [Iron (III) acetylacetonate], which could be served as the source of Fe, O, and C. As an anode material, the Fe2O3@C anode delivers a specific capacity of 747.8 mAh g(-1) after 200 cycles at 200 mA g(-1) and 577.8 mAh g(-1) after 365 cycles at 500 mA g(-1). When selenium powder was introduced into the reaction system, the FeSe2 nano-rods encapsulated in the carbon shell were obtained, which also displayed a relatively good performance in lithium storage capacity (852 mAh g(-1) after 150 cycles under the current density of 100 mA center dot g(-1)). This study may provide an alternative way to prepare other carbon-composited metal compounds, such as FeNx@C, FePx@C, and FeSx@C, and found their applications in the field of electrochemistry.

Automated summary

Due to their high capacities, iron-based anode materials have attracted widespread attention for lithium-ion batteries, but they suffer from serious capacity decay. Designing nanostructures combined with carbon is an effective approach to improve cycling stability. In this study, ultra-small Fe2O3 nanoparticles loaded on a carbon framework were synthesized, which exhibited good electrochemical performance as an anode material.