Highly crystallized Fe₂O₃ nanocrystals on graphene: A lithium ion battery anode material with enhanced cycling

A facile one-step hydrothermal method has been developed to synthesise Fe₂O₃-graphene nanocomposites using l-arginine as the hydrolysis-controlling agent. In the synthesised composites, highly crystallized Fe₂O₃ nanocrystals with an average size of ∼50 nm are firmly anchored on the graphene sheets. When applied as the anode material for lithium ion batteries, the resulting Fe₂O₃-graphene nanocomposites show excellent cycling stability and good rate performance. The composites deliver a capacity of 946 and 634 mA h g^-1 at a current density of 200 and 2000 mA g^-1, respectively. After cycling at 200 mA g^-1 for 450 cycles, a capacity of 1049 mA h g^-1 can still be maintained.