Unique Lamellar Sodium/Potassium Iron Oxide Nanosheets: Facile Microwave-Assisted Synthesis and Magnetic and Electrochemical Properties

Unique lamellar sodium/potassium iron oxide nanosheets consisting of two-dimensional iron oxide building blocks have been synthesized by microwave-assisted heating the suspension of iron(II) sulfate, sodium thiosulfate, and sodium/potassium hydroxide within 5 min. These lamellar iron oxide building blocks are separated by intercalated sodium/potassium ions, which possess typical ferromagnetic properties due to the magnetic anisotropy of the lamellar iron oxide. Owing to their layered feature, these nanosheets with a high Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area could allow fast Li-ion diffusion, and thus the preliminary investigations on their electrochemical properties have been carried out, which indicate potential applications of these lamellar nanosheets as anode materials for high-performance lithium-ion batteries. Moreover, this facile microwave-assisted synthesis strategy will open a new route to prepare other lamellar metal oxide nanomaterials with unique architectures and multifunctionalities.