Nanocomposites of hematite (α-Fe2O3) nanospindles with crumpled reduced graphene oxide nanosheets as high-performance anode material for lithium-ion batteries

Nanocomposites of Fe2O3 nanospindles with crumpled reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanosheets were prepared using a facile solvothermal synthesis method. The RGO-Fe2O3 nanocomposite with about 24.4 wt% RGO demonstrated an excellent electrochemical performance as a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), which achieved a high reversible capacity of 969 mA h g(-1) after 100 cycles at a current density of 100 mA g(-1) (0.1 C). Furthermore, it also exhibited a large capacity of 336 mA h g(-1) after 100 cycles at the high rate of 5 C. The cycling performance and reversible capacities of the RGO-Fe2O3 composites were much better than those of bare Fe2O3 nanospindles and pure RGO nanosheets, as well as previously reported RGO-Fe2O3 nanocomposites. The enhanced performance towards lithium storage can be ascribed to the crumpled RGO nanosheets, which may act as efficient volume buffer and electron conductor in the composites. The strategy proposed here could be extended to produce other nanocomposites based on crumpled graphene nanosheets for various applications.