Fe2O3/carbon derived from peanut shell hybrid as an advanced anode for high performance lithium ion batteries

Carbon materials derived from biomass behave sustainability, easy availability, low cost and environmentally benign. And Fe2O3 are considered as promising anodes for high-performance Li-ion batteries (LIBs) because of their rich electrochemical properties, higher theoretical capacity (1007 mAh g-1), non-toxicity, high corrosion resistance and safety. However, the high irreversible capacity loss and poor cycling stability of Fe2O3 hinders its commercial applications in LIBs. In this work, we have developed a Fe2O3@C derived from peanut shell composite by two-step hydrothermal method and low-temperature calcination with the assistance of Fe(NO3)3. As an anode for LIBs, the Fe2O3@C composite an excellent electrochemical performance in term of the specific capacity of 1000.8 mAh g-1 at 200 mA g-1 after 100 cycles, and high rate capability of 573.5 mAh g-1 even at 1 A g-1 after 200 cycles. This enhancement could be attributed to the porous carbon matrix combined with Fe2O3 nanoparticles which could increase contact area between electrolyte and active materials, improve conductivity, and accommodate the volume variations via additional void space during cycling. This work may be provide a new approach to improve anode materials using carbon derived-from biomass with larger reversible capacity and long cycle life in LIBs.