Iron Oxide (α-Fe2O3) Nanoparticles as an Anode Material for Lithium Ion Battery

α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles were synthesized by facile hydrothermal process at low-temperature and used as efficient anode material for the fabrication of lithium ion battery. The prepared nanoparticles were characterized in detail by various techniques such as X-ray diffraction pattern, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) combined with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) equipped with high-resolution TEM, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman-scattering spectroscopy. The detailed characterizations revealed that the nanoparticles are synthesized in large quantity and possessing well-crystalline rhombohedral α-Fe2O3 structure. For application point of view, the synthesized nanoparticles were used as an anode material for fabrication of Li-ion battery. A coin cell of type-2032 was assembled using as-synthesized α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles and its charge-discharge profile was analyzed. Interestingly, it was observed that the cell delivered the first-charge capacity of 870 mAh g(-1) and the cell delivered a discharge capacity of 1500 mAh g(-1) during its first cycle.