Self-assembled Fe₂O₃/graphene aerogel with high lithium storage performance

In this study, graphene aerogel (GA)-supported Fe2O3 particles with three-dimensional (3D) architecture was prepared by a one-pot hydrothermal process. Fe2O3 particles were dispersed uniformly on the graphene sheets, and the resulting composites self-assembled into a 3D network via hydrothermal treatment. This strategy provides a facile and environmentally friendly method for the large-scale synthesis of Fe2O3/GAs without any additional reductant. As the anode material for lithium ion batteries, the Fe2O3/GAs in this study manifested an excellent reversible capacity of 995 mA h g(-1) after 50 cycles at a charge-discharge rate of 100 mA g(-1) and even delivered reversible capacity as high as 372 mA h g(-1) at a high rate of 5000 mA g(-1). The outstanding electrochemical performance of Fe2O3/GAs can be attributed to the synergistic interaction between uniformly dispersed Fe2O3 particles and graphene aerogel, in which a robust 3D framework of graphene provided highly conductive networks with a large surface area and short diffusion path length for the transport of lithium ions.