Fe3O4 wrapped by reduced graphene oxide as a high-performance anode material for lithium-ion batteries

Iron oxide has been considered as one of the most promising anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to its low cost, environmental benignity, and abundant source. However, the huge volume variation of iron oxide during the lithiation/delithiation processes has caused a structural failure and decay of the electrochemical performance for LIBs. In order to improve the electrochemical performance of iron oxide, one efficient strategy is to prepare carbon-coated iron oxide with special structure. Herein, we use metal-organic frameworks to prepare Fe3O4/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposite through a hydrothermal route. As an anode material of LIBs, the prepared Fe3O4/rGO nanocomposite exhibits a high discharge capacity of 1762.1 mAh g−1 and remarkably good rate performance with a charge capacity of 1060.6 mAh g−1 at 100 mA g−1 and 772.9 mAh g−1 at 1000 mA g−1. In the Fe3O4/rGO composite, the electrical conductivity was enhanced and the volume expansion was also restrained by rGO.