Tailoring Iron Oxide Nanostructures for High-Capacity Lithium Storage

Abstract

Iron oxides, such as hematite (α-Fe2O3), maghemite (γ-Fe2O3), and magnetite (Fe3O4), have been considered as alternative anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to their high theoretical capacity, abundant reserves, low cost, and non-toxicity. However, their practical application has been hampered by the large volume expansion, which leads to rapid capacity fading. Nanostructure engineering has been demonstrated to be an effective avenue in tackling the volume variation issue and boosting the electrochemical performances. Herein, recent advances on nanostructure engineering of iron oxides for lithium storage are summarized. These nanostructures include 0D nanoparticles, 1D nanowires/nanorods/ nanofibers/nanotubes, 2D nanoflakes/nanosheets, as well as 3D porous/hollow/hierarchical architectures. The structureelectrochemical performance correlations are also discussed. It is believed that the performance optimization strategies summarized here might be extended to other high-capacity LIB anode materials.

Response to “Comment on Bulk Nanobubbles or Not Nanobubbles: That is the Question”

“…In the case of air-filled particles, the core region does appear brighter than the shell. This fact is well-known in the literature and has also been independently confirmed using SEM analysis. − Furthermore, one of us (Jadhav) has had extensive experience with producing hollow air-filled nanoparticles and using TEM and SEM analysis . In the case of encapsulated nanodroplets, it is not usually possible to distinguish the shell from the inside of the droplet.…”