Carbon-Wrapped Fe₃O₄ Nanoparticle Films Grown on Nickel Foam as Binder-Free Anodes for High-Rate and Long-Life Lithium Storage

Carbon-wrapped Fe3O4 nanoparticle films on nickel foam were simply prepared by a hydrothermal synthesis with sucrose as a precursor of subsequent carbonization. The as-prepared samples were directly used as binder-free anodes for lithium-ion batteries which exhibited enhanced rate performance and excellent cyclability. A reversible capacity of 543 mA h g(-1) was delivered at a current density as high as 10 C after more than 2000 cycles. The superior electrochemical performance can be attributed to the formation of a thin carbon layer which constructs a 3D network structure enwrapping the nanosized Fe3O4 particles. Such an architecture can facilitate the electron transfer and accommodate the volume change of the active materials during discharge/charge cycling.