Construction of heterostructured NiFe2O4-C nanorods by transition metal recycling from simulated electroplating sludge leaching solution for high performance lithium ion batteries

NiFe(2)O(4)has been regarded as one of the promising candidates for lithium-ion battery (LIB) anode materials due to its high theoretical specific capacity. However, the large volume expansion and pulverization of NiFe(2)O(4)during the charge/discharge process result in severe capacity fading. Herein, heterostructured NiFe2O4-C nanorods have been successfully fabricated by recovering transition metals from simulated electroplating sludge leaching solution. The constructed NiFe2O4-C heterointerface plays a vital role in accommodating volume change, stabilizing the reaction products and providing rapid electron and Li(+)ion transportation ability, resulting in a high and stable Li(+)accommodation performance. The fabricated NiFe2O4-C nanorods demonstrate a high specific capacity (889.9 mA h g(-1)at 100 mA g(-1)), impressive rate capability (861.5, 704.5, 651.4, 579.6 and 502.1 mA h g(-1)at 0.2, 0.6, 1.0, 2.0 and 5.0 A g(-1)) and cycling stability (650.2 mA h g(-1)at 2 A g(-1)after 500 cycles). This work exemplifies a facile and effective approach for the fabrication of high performance LIB electrode materials by recycling metals from electroplating sludge in an application-oriented manner.