Boosting Lithium Storage Properties of MOF Derivatives through a Wet-Spinning Assembled Fiber Strategy

Graphene composite fibers are of great importance in constructing electrode materials with high flexibility and conductivity for energy storage and electronic devices. Integration of multifunctional metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) into graphene fiber scaffolds enables novel functions and enhanced physical/chemical properties. The close-packed and aligned graphene sheets along with the porous MOF-derived structures can achieve excellent lithium storage performance through synergetic effects. In this work, a facile and general strategy is demonstrated for the preparation of MOF/graphene oxide (GO) fibers, which serve as precursors for the subsequent preparation of porous metal oxide/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composite fibers. The obtained composites, for example, porous Fe2O3/rGO and Co3O4/rGO fibers, possess unique features of MOF-derived porous structures and excellent electrical conductivity. When tested as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries in coin cells, the MOF/GO fiber-derived porous metal oxide/rGO composite fibers exhibited high specific capacity, excellent rate capability and cycling performance. Moreover, a flexible fiber battery was fabricated based on the Fe2O3/rGO composite fiber, which demonstrates its potential application for flexible electronic devices.