Enhanced electrode performance of Fe2O3 nanoparticle-decorated nanomesh graphene as anodes for lithium-ion batteries

Nanostructured Fe2O3-nanomesh graphene (NMG) composites containing ∼3 nm Fe2O3 nanoparticles (NPs) uniformly distributed in the nanopores of NMG are synthesized by an adsorption-precipitation process. As anodes for Li ion batteries (LIBs), the 10%Fe2O3-NMG composite exhibits an upward trend in the capacity and delivers a reversible specific capacity of 1567 mA h g(-1) after 50 cycles at 150 mA g(-1), and 883 mA h g(-1) after 100 cycles at 1000 mA g(-1), much higher than the corresponding values for the NMG electrode. The significant capacity enhancement of the 10%Fe-NMG composite is attributed to the positive synergistic effect between NMG and Fe2O3 NPs due to the catalytic activity of Fe2O3 NPs for decomposition of the solid electrolyte interface film. Our results indicate that decoration of ultrasmall Fe2O3 NPs can significantly change the surface condition of graphene. This synthesis strategy is simple, effective, and broadly applicable for constructing other electrode materials for LIBs.