Exploring Iron Oxides Anodes By Tuning Their Structure and Morphology for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Demand for lithium-ion batteries is increasing with the increase in portal electronic, electric vehicle and renewable energy. High energy dense electrode materials are required to meet this demand. In this study we are exploring an alternative anode material to graphite electrodes. We chose Iron Oxides due their abundancy and high capacity1 . We altered the structure and morphology of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONP) and prepared electrodes from the following nanoparticles (NP): Commercial iron (III) oxide NP (Fe2O3), iron oxide NP + succinic acid, iron oxide NP + citric acid, silica-encapsulated Fe3O4 NP and iron oxide NP + perchloric acid. Slurries were made using a conductive carbon (Super P) carboxymethyl cellulose and ultra-pure water in a weight ratio of 8:1:1 (w/w). Lithium perchlorate (1 M) was dissolved in ethylene carbonate and dimethyl carbonate and used as the electrolyte. Using an ARBIN battery test unit, cyclic voltammetry was performed between 0.05 and 3.0 V and compared to a lithium counter electrode at a scan rate of 0.1 mV/s. Figure 1 compares the electrochemical performance of these iron oxide anodes with different structure and morphology. This was supported by Oklahoma State University’s CEAT undergraduate research scholarship. [1] Wang, X. et al (2016). Uniform Fe3O4 microflowers hierarchical structures assembled with porous nanoplates as superior anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. Elsevier Applied Surface Science vol (389) 240-246. Doi: 10.1016/j.apsusc.2016.07.105 Figure 1