One-step synthesis of Fe3O4@C/reduced-graphite oxide nanocomposites for high-performance lithium ion batteries

• Fe3O4@C/graphene nanocomposites (FCRGs) were synthesized via a one-step hydrothermal method.
• The as-formed Fe3O4 nanoparticles coated with a layer of amorphous carbon are wrapped by reduced graphite oxide (r-GO) sheet in the FCRG.
• FCRG exhibits improved cycling stability and rate performances than Fe3O4/C.

In this paper, we propose a facile one-step strategy to prepare Fe3O4@amorphous carbon/reduced graphite oxide nanocomposites (FCRGs) under hydrothermal conditions. A transmission electron microscopy image has shown that the as-formed Fe3O4 nanoparticles coated with a layer of amorphous carbon are wrapped by reduced graphite oxide (r-GO) sheets. The diameter of Fe3O4 nanoparticles is less than 50 nm. N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms indicate that the specific surface area of FCRG is 31.6 m2/g with porous structure. FCRG exhibits improved cycling stability and rate performances as a potential anode material for high-performance lithium ion batteries.