Binder-Free Metal Fibril–Supported Fe2O3 Anode for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries

Metal oxides have been extensively investigated as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) owing to their higher theoretical capacity compared to graphitic carbon (372 mAh g⁻¹), which has been widely used as a commercial anode material^1,2. Among the established metal oxide anode materials, Fe2O3 is considered a promising anode candidate because of its numerous advantages including high theoretical capacity (1007 mAh g⁻¹), abundance, relatively low cost, and environmental friendliness. However, a large volume of expansion (six Li⁺ per formula unit) and electrode destruction upon electrochemical cycling results in severe capacity fading. Moreover, due to the insulating properties of the discharge product, Li₂O (Fe₂O₃ + 6Li⁺ ↔ 2Fe + 3Li₂O), Fe₂O₃ suffers from sluggish reaction kinetics, especially at a high current rate³.

To solve these problems, we report a simple fabrication process for a stainless steel metal fibril–supported Fe₂O₃ (Fe₂O₃/SF) material as a lithium battery anode. Utilizing the well-developed 3D structure of Fe₂O₃/SF, the material shows not only a superior rate capability but also extremely long cycle life (2000 cycles), even at a high current density.

References

[1] A. S. Aricò, P. Bruce, B. Scrosati, J. M. Tarascon and W. Van Schalkwijk, Nat. Mater., 4, 2005, 366-377.

[2] Z. Wang, L. Zhou and X. W. Lou, Adv. Mater., 24, 2012, 1903-1911

[3] Q. Su, D. Xie, J. Zhang, G. Du and B. Xu, ACS Nano, 7, 2013, 9115-9121.