Metal Oxide Wrapped by Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanocomposites as Anode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries

The reduced graphene oxide/iron oxide (rGO/Fe₂O₃) and reduced graphene oxide/cobalt oxide (rGO/Co₃O₄) composite anodes have been successfully prepared through a simple and scalable ball-milling synthesis. The substantial interaction of Fe₂O₃ and Co₃O₄ with the rGO matrix strengthens the electronic conductivity and limits the volume variation during cycling in the rGO/Fe₂O₃ and rGO/Co₃O₄ composites because reduced graphene oxide (rGO) helps the metal oxides (MOs) to attain a more efficient diffusion of Li-ions and leads to high specific capacities. As anode materials for LIBs, the rGO/Fe₂O₃ and rGO/Co₃O₄ composites demonstrate overall superb electrochemical properties, especially rGO/Fe₂O₃T-5 and rGO/Co₃O₄T-5, showcasing higher reversible capacities of 1021 and 773 mAhg^-1 after 100 cycles at 100 mAg^-1, accompanied by the significant rate performance. Because of their superior electrochemical efficiency, high capacity and low cost, the rGO/Fe₂O₃ and rGO/Co₃O₄ composites made by ball milling could be outstanding anode materials for LIBs. Due to the excellent electrochemical performance, the rGO/Fe₂O₃ and rGO/Co₃O₄ composites prepared via ball milling could be promising anode materials with a high capacity and low cost for LIBs. The findings may provide shed some light on how other metal oxides wrapped by rGO can be prepared for future applications.