A nanosized Fe2O3 decorated single-walled carbon nanotube membrane as a high-performance flexible anode for lithium ion batteries

An Fe2O3/single-walled carbon nanotube (Fe2O3/SWCNT) membrane with high Fe2O3 loading (88.0 wt%) is prepared by oxidizing a flow-assembled Fe/SWCNT membrane. The Fe2O3/SWCNT membrane can be used as a flexible, binder-free and current-collector-free anode in lithium ion batteries, which shows a high reversible capacity of 1243 mA h g(-1) at a current density of 50 mA g(-1) and an excellent cyclic stability over 90 cycles at 500 mA g(-1). The superior electrochemical performance of the Fe2O3/SWCNT electrode can be attributed to the structural characteristics of the SWCNT network and the uniformly distributed Fe2O3 nanoparticles (5-10 nm). The nanosized Fe2O3 has a short lithium ion diffusion length and minimal volume change during lithiation-delithiation. The high loading ratio of Fe2O3 nanoparticles renders the high capacity. The highly conducting interwoven SWCNT network not only facilitates electron conduction but also buffers the strain applied to Fe2O3 nanoparticles during the lithiation and delithiation. These results demonstrate the great potential of this hybrid membrane anode for high-performance flexible lithium ion batteries.