Facile synthesis of Fe@Fe2O3 core-shell nanoparticles attached to carbon nanotubes and their application as high performance anode in lithium-ion batteries

A novel Fe@Fe2O3 core-shell nanostructure attached to carbon nanotubes was synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method, and their morphologies, structures and electrochemical performances as anode materials of lithium-ion batteries were investigated. The results showed that the Fe@Fe2O3/CNTs nanocomposites displayed a reversible capacity of 702.7 mAh g−1 up to 60 cycles at a current density of 100 mA g−1, and exhibited much better rate capability compared to the commercial CNTs at various rates between 100 and 1000 mA g−1. The excellent lithium storage and rate capacity performance of Fe@Fe2O3/CNTs nanocomposites are ascribed to synergistic effect between the Fe@Fe2O3 core-shell nanoparticles and randomly distributed CNTs, highlighting that the importance of the maximum use of the novel Fe@Fe2O3 core-shell nanocomposites and CNTs for energy storage applications in high-performance lithium-ion batteries (LIBs).