Spinach juice-derived porous Fe2O3/carbon nanorods as superior anodes for lithium-ion batteries

A low-cost and green method to get electrode materials with wonderful electrochemical performance is decisive for the development of lithium ion batteries (LIBs). Here it’s the first time to synthesize rod-like porous Fe 2 O 3 coated with carbon (Fe 2 O 3 /C) by using biomolecules in spinach juice as soft templates and carbon resource. The different initial concentrations of Fe 3+ can affect the morphologies and electrochemical properties of samples. When the initial concentration of Fe 3+ is 0.4   M, the sample (Fe 2 O 3 /C-2) exhibits favorable performance of lithium storage owing to the existence of carbon with excellent electroconductivity and the porous rode-like structure which can relieve the large volume change and provide pathway for Li + transport during cycles. The initial capacity of sample is 1405   mA h g −1 while the capacity maintained 581   mA h g −1 after 100 cycles at a current density of 0.2   A   g −1 . The excellent electrochemical performances of Fe 2 O 3 /C-2 make it a promising anode material for LIBs.