A facile solution combustion synthesis of nanosized amorphous iron oxide incorporated in a carbon matrix for use as a high-performance lithium ion battery anode material

• Iron oxide–carbon composite was fabricated by facile solution combustion synthesis.
• Iron oxide nanoparticles of about 5 nm were uniformly embedded in dense carbon matrix.
• The composite exhibited enhanced cyclability and rate capability.
• A high capacity of 687 mA h g−1 after 200 cycles at a current rate of 0.5 A g−1 were obtained.

An amorphous iron oxide–carbon composite has been fabricated through an effective, inexpensive, and scalable method employing solution combustion synthesis. Amorphous iron oxide nanoparticles with diameters of about 5 nm were synthesized and uniformly embedded in a dense carbon matrix. The synthesized composite exhibits enhanced cyclability and rate capability, showing a high reversible capacity of 687 mA h g−1 after 200 discharge/charge cycles at a current rate of 0.5 A g−1, compared to the 400 mA h g−1 observed for Fe2O3 nanoparticles. This enhanced performance was retained despite more demanding conditions, delivering a high capacity of about 525 mA h g−1 and a nearly perfect coulombic efficiency even after 400 cycles at 1 A g−1. The easy production and superior electrochemical properties of this composite suggest that it is a promising material for use as an anode material in high performance lithium ion batteries.