Ultrasmall Fe(2)O(3) nanoparticles/MoS(2) nanosheets composite as high-performance anode material for lithium ion batteries

Coupling ultrasmall Fe(2)O(3) particles (~4.0 nm) with the MoS(2) nanosheets is achieved by a facile method for high-performance anode material for Li-ion battery. MoS(2) nanosheets in the composite can serve as scaffolds, efficiently buffering the large volume change of Fe(2)O(3) during charge/discharge process, whereas the ultrasmall Fe(2)O(3) nanoparticles mainly provide the specific capacity. Due to bigger surface area and larger pore volume as well as strong coupling between Fe(2)O(3) particles and MoS(2) nanosheets, the composite exhibits superior electrochemical properties to MoS(2), Fe(2)O(3) and the physical mixture Fe(2)O(3)+MoS(2). Typically, after 140 cycles the reversible capacity of the composite does not decay, but increases from 829 mA h g(−1) to 864 mA h g(−1) at a high current density of 2 A g(−1). Thus, the present facile strategy could open a way for development of cost-efficient anode material with high-performance for large-scale energy conversion and storage systems.