One-pot facile synthesis of iron oxide nanowires as high capacity anode materials for lithium ion batteries

α-Fe2O3 nanowires were synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method. The crystalline structure and morphology of the synthesized materials have been characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The results revealed that the prepared α-Fe2O3 product was uniform nanowires with the length/diameter ratio as high as 500. The electrochemical properties of α-Fe2O3 nanowires were evaluated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and charge/discharge measurements. The initial charge/discharge capacities can reach 947/1303 mAh/g at the rate of 0.1 C. The lithium storage capacity maintained 456 mAh/g after 100 cycles. This good electrochemical performance may be attributed to the large surface area and short pathways in nanowires for lithium ion migration.