Nanostructured Reduced Graphene Oxide/Fe2O3 Composite As a High-Performance Anode Material for Lithium Ion Batteries

Reduced graphene oxide/Fe2O3 composite was prepared using a facile two-step synthesis by homogeneous coprecipitation and subsequent reduction of the G-O with hydrazine under microwave irradiation to yield reduced graphene oxide (RG-O) platelets decorated with Fe2O3 nanoparticles. As an anode material for Li-ion batteries, the RG-O/Fe2O3 composite exhibited discharge and charge capacities of 1693 and 1227 mAh/g, respectively, normalized to the mass of Fe2O3 In the composite (and 1355 and 982 mAh/g, respectively, based on the total mass of the composite), with good cycling performance and rate capability. Characterization shows that the Fe2O3 nanoparticles are uniformly distributed on the surface of the RG-O platelet in the composite. The total specific capacity of RG-O/Fe2O3 is higher than the sum of pure RG-O and nanoparticle Fe2O3, indicating a positive synergistic effect of RG-O and Fe2O3 on the improvement of electrochemical performance. The synthesis approach presents a promising route for a large-scale production of RG-O platelet/metal oxide nanoparticle composites as electrode materials for Li-ion batteries.