Porous iron oxide ribbons grown on graphene for high-performance lithium storage

A well-designed nanostructure of transition metal oxides has been regarded as a key to solve their problems of large volume changes during lithium insertion-desertion processes which are associated with pulverization of the electrodes and rapid capacity decay. Here we report an effective approach for the fabrication of porous iron oxide ribbons by controlling the nucleation and growth of iron precursor onto the graphene surface and followed by an annealing treatment. The resultant iron oxide ribbons possess large aspect ratio, porous structure, thin feature and enhanced open-edges. These characteristics are favorable for the fast diffusion of lithium ions and electrons, and meanwhile can effectively accommodate the volume change of iron oxides during the cycling processes. As a consequence, the graphene-induced porous iron oxide ribbons exhibit a high reversible capacity and excellent cycle stability for lithium storage.