N-doped honeycomb-like carbon networks loaded with ultra-fine Fe2O3 nanoparticles for lithium-ion batteries

N-doped honeycomb-like carbon networks (N–HCN) loaded with ultra-fine Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles (Fe 2 O 3 /N–HCN) are proposed as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The Fe 2 O 3 /N–HCN nanocomposites are prepared by freeze-drying of glucose-Fe(NO 3 ) 3 solution, following by grinding it with urea, and finally annealing treatment. The N–HCN with dozen micrometer-sized macropores is composed of carbon nanosheets with a thickness of about 33 nm. A large number of 2–7 nm-sized ultra-fine Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles with an average size of 4.4 nm are uniformly arrayed on the wall of N–HCN. The Fe 2 O 3 /N–HCN nanocomposites exhibit good performances as anode materials for LIBs. After 500 cycles under a large current density of 5 A g −1 , the Fe 2 O 3 /N–HCN nanocomposites still show a reversible capacity of 408 mAh g −1 . The good performance can be ascribed to the uniformly dispersed ultra-fine Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles and unique honeycomb-like structure of N–HCN which provides a continuous conductive network to greatly promote the rapid transfer of ions and electrons, and effectively alleviate the volume fluctuation effect of Fe 2 O 3 during charging and discharging. More importantly, the cheap and environmentally friendly glucose as raw materials provides possibility for green energy applications.