Ultra-Fine Maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) Nanoparticles Anchored on 3D Reduced Graphene Oxide Aerogels for Advanced Lithium-Ion Battery Anodes

Fe 2 O 3 has been widely investigated as anode material for its high theoretical capacity and natural abundance, but the low conductivity, large volume variation and slow kinetics seriously hinder its commercialization. Here, we propose the in situ growth of ultra-fine Maghemite ( γ -Fe 2 O 3 ) NPs on the 3D rGO aerogel with abundant pores by a facile freeze-drying process followed by thermal annealing, which is confirmed by XRD and HR-TEM. This novel 3D porous structure ensures fast electron and ion diffusion within the electrode, which effectively mitigates the volume expansion of Fe 2 O 3 during cycling. Benefiting from these advantages, an excellent cycling performance of 668 mAh g −1 at 0.5 A g −1 over 100 cycles as well as outstanding rate performance are achieved. These results provide a promising approach of advanced anode materials for Lithium-ion batteries.