Porous Fe₂O₃ Nanoparticles as\nLithium-Ion Battery Anode Materials

Abstract

Currently,\nbecause of higher theoretical capacity compared with\nother materials, the research of Fe₂O₃ as an\nanode electrode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has been\nwidely reported. By using a microwave-assisted-template method, the\nFe-based metal–organic framework (Fe-MIL-88A) material with\na spindle-like morphology was prepared by a microwave-assisted method.\nVia the one-step pyrolysis of Fe-MIL-88A-MW (microwave-assisted synthesis)\nin air, uniform Fe₂O₃-MW-4h nanoparticles with\na multicavity structure were obtained. The influence of microwave\nholding time on the formation of internal cavity in Fe-MIL-88A-MW-derived\nFe₂O₃ nanoparticles was investigated. The resulting\nFe₂O₃-MW-4h nanoparticles exhibit the unique\nadvantages of nanomaterials, with a high surface area and large pore\nvolume. These features facilitate the movement of the electrolyte\nand reduce the resistance of the material. Most importantly, the multicavity\nstructure of Fe₂O₃-MW-4h nanoparticles could\nreduce the volume change during the Li⁺ insertion and extraction\nprocess. When materials were used as anode materials for LIBs, the\nFe₂O₃-MW-4h nanoparticles exhibit excellent\nelectrochemical performance. Therefore, the microwave-assisted-template\nmethod is promising in manufacturing metal oxides with multicavity\nstructures for the next generation of LIB anode electrode materials.