Strategy to Synthesize Fe3O4/C Nanotubes as Anode Material for Advanced Lithium-Ion Batteries

• A electrospinning route for one-step synthesis of Fe3O4/C nanotubes.
• The formation mechanism of Fe3O4/C nanotubes fabricated by electrospinning is discussed.
• The composite exhibits an unexpected cycling stability with capacity 600 mA h g−1 after 100 cycles at 0.15 C.

A facile electrospinning route for one-step synthesis of Fe3O4/C nanotubes has been developed depending on the separation of mineral oil and polyacrylonitrile in N, N-dimethylformamide solvent followed by stabilization and carbonization. The obtained Fe3O4 nanoparticles with diameter 10 to 100 nm were uniformly embedded into highly conductive carbon nanotube wall. The carbon combined conducting, buffering and confining effects during electrochemical cycling. In addition, the hollow tubular structure with more space can accommodate large volume changes of Fe3O4 associated with Li ions insertion/extraction, and increase the surface area accessible to the electrolyte, facilitating the Li ions diffusion at the interior and exterior of the nanotube. The half cells based on Fe3O4/C nanotubes exhibit an unexpected cycling stability with capacity of 600 mA h g−1 after 100 cycles. These results are encouraging for the development of Fe3O4/C nanotubes as potential building blocks for high-performance anodes in LIBs.

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