Fe2O3/nitrogen-doped graphene nanosheet nanocomposites as anode materials for sodium-ion batteries with enhanced electrochemical performance

Fe2O3 anode suffers from drastic volume change during cycling and poor electronic conductivity, resulting in inferior electrochemical performance. To address these problems, Fe2O3/nitrogen-doped graphene nanosheet nanocomposites (Fe2O3/N-GNS) were synthesized via a simple, effective and convenient hydrothermal method, and the resulting nanocomposites were applied as anodes of sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). The electrochemical test shows that the Fe2O3/N-GNS deliver a reversible capacity of similar to 306 mA h g(-1) at 50 mA g(-1) after 50 cycles and with a good cyclability in SIBs, indicating that N-GNS can improve electrical conductivity and stabilize the structure changes during cycling. It suggests a potential feasibility to use these metal oxide composites as low-cost and high capacity anode materials for SIBs. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.