FeO nanoparticles-wrapped carbon nanofibers as high-performance anode for lithium-ion battery

One-dimensional hierarchical nanostructures composed of FeO nanoparticles and carbon nanofibers (CNFs) have been successfully synthesized through a facile solvothermal method followed by a simple thermal annealing treatment. X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy reveal that FeO nanoparticles with a size of 80–100 nm are uniformly dispersed on CNFs. The FeO/CNFs nanocomposites show an enhanced reversible capacity and excellent rate performance as anode for Li-ion battery. The reversible capacity of the nanocomposites retains 684 mAh g after 55 cycles at 100 mA g. Even when cycled at various rate (100, 200, 500, 1000, and 2000 mA g) for 50 cycles, the capacity can recover to 757 mAh g at the current of 100 mA g. The enhanced electrochemical performances are attributed to the characteristics of interconnected one-dimensional nanostructures that provide three-dimensional networks for Li-ion diffusion and electron transfer, and can further accommodate the volumetric change of FeO nanoparticles during charge–discharge cycling.