Preparation and evaluation of Fe2TiO5/graphene nanocomposites as anode material for high-performance lithium-ion battery

Abstract

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), as crucial energy storage systems, offer wide-ranging applications in electric vehicles, mobile communications and renewable energy. The electrochemical performance of LIBs is greatly impacted by anode material. Iron titanate (Fe₂TiO₅), as a promising anode material for LIBs, has garnered significant attention due to its unique crystal structure and excellent electrochemical properties. However, there are still some challenges in achieving high specific capacity and prolonging cycling life. In this study, we synthesize Fe₂TiO₅ nanoparticles using a sol–gel method and prepare Fe₂TiO₅/graphene nanocomposites to further improve the electrochemical performance. Fe₂TiO₅ calcined at 600 °C exhibits smaller particle size (10 nm) and larger specific surface area (54.1 m² g⁻¹), which is beneficial to increasing the contact area between the electrolyte and the electrode and reducing the diffusion distance of lithium ions. As a result, the Fe₂TiO₅/graphene nanocomposites demonstrate a high reversible capacity of 821.3 mAh g⁻¹ at 100 mA g^-1 and excellent cycling stability (maintaining 462.7 mAh g^-1 after 500 cycles at 500 mA g^-1).