Preparation Of Iron Oxides And Their Lithium Storage Properties

In this paper, a series of iron oxides with various morphologies and structures were fabricated by facile hydrothermal and solvothermal methods. The formation mechanisms of these iron oxides were discussed in great detail. Furthermore, these iron oxides were used as anode materials in lithium ion batteries. Their lithium ion storage properties were fully studied so as to provide experimental bases for their application in lithium ion batteries.The main results of this study are summarized as follows:(1) A detailed study on the controllable synthesis of iron alkoxides hierarchical structures was carried out via a facile one-pot hydrothermal procedure. By varying the reaction system conditions (e.g., Fe3+/urea ratio, valence state of iron ions, reaction time and reaction temperature), spheroidal, bamboo-like, yarn-ball like, flower-like, cubilose-like, watercress-like, flake-like, spitball-like and micro-layered structures were successfully synthesized. Additionally, the lithium storage properties of flower-like iron alkoxides were also investigated, which established a precedent to search for alternative anode materials within the scope of reaction precursors (e.g., metal alkoxides) for lithium-ion batteries to improve their energy density and safety.(2) The impact of morphology of conductive agent and anode material (Fe3O4) on lithium storage properties was throughly investigated. It was found that the morphology of conductive agent is of utmost importance in determining LIBs storage properties. In contrast, not as the way we anticipated, the morphology of anode material merely plays a subordinate role on their electrochemical performances. Further, the morphology-matching principle of electrode materials was discussed so as to render their utilization more rational and effective in lithium-ion batteries.