Fe3O4 nanoparticles decorated on the biochar derived from pomelo pericarp as excellent anode materials for Li-ion batteries

Fe 3 O 4 has been regarded as one of the sustainable alternatives for anode materials of Li-ion batteries (LIBs), but the severe volume expansion and agglomeration of Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles pose limitations to the lithium storage capability. In this paper, Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles are loaded on the carbon derived from inner pomelo pericarp to form Fe 3 O 4 /C composite. Benefiting from the synergistic effect of the good electronic conductivity of the biochar and the high capacity of Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles, the composite delivers a pronounced reversible capacity of 1003.3   mAh   g −1 after 200 cycles at 100   mA   g −1 , and reveals an impressive high rate capacity of 634.6   mAh   g −1 at 500   mA   g −1 with the capacity fading of 0.074% per cycle, suggesting the great potential as anode materials for LIBs. The mineral substances of uniformly distributed KCl and CaCO 3 in the biochar play an important role in enhancing the electrochemical performance of the composite.