Centrifugally Spun α-Fe2O3/TiO2/Carbon Composite Fibers as Anode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Authors: Luis Zuniga , Gabriel Gonzalez , Roberto Orrostieta Chavez , Jason C. Myers , Timothy P. Lodge and Mataz Alcoutlabi

DOI:doi:10.1021/acs.jpcc.9b02004 /Appl. Sci. 2019, 9, 4032

Abstract

We report results on the electrochemical performance of flexible and binder-free α-Fe₂O₃/TiO₂/carbon composite fiber anodes for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The composite fibers were produced via centrifugal spinning and subsequent thermal processing. The fibers were prepared from a precursor solution containing PVP/iron (III) acetylacetonate/titanium (IV) butoxide/ethanol/acetic acid followed by oxidation at 200 °C in air and then carbonization at 550 °C under flowing argon. The morphology and structure of the composite fibers were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). These ternary composite fiber anodes showed improved electrochemical performance compared to the pristine TiO₂/C and α-Fe₂O₃/C composite fiber electrodes. The α-Fe₂O₃/TiO₂/C composite fibers also showed a superior cycling performance with a specific capacity of 340 mAh g⁻¹ after 100 cycles at a current density of 100 mA g⁻¹, compared to 61 mAh g⁻¹ and 121 mAh g⁻¹ for TiO₂/C and α-Fe₂O₃/C composite electrodes, respectively. The improved electrochemical performance and the simple processing of these metal oxide/carbon composite fibers make them promising candidates for the next generation and cost-effective flexible binder-free anodes for LIBs

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