One-pot synthesis of Fe₃O₄/Fe/MWCNT nanocomposites via electrical wire pulse for Li ion battery electrodes

Highlights: • Synthesis of Fe₃O₄/Fe/MWCNT nanocolloids using an electrical wire explosion process. • Electrical connection of Fe₃O₄ to a current collector by the conducting networks. • Improved electrochemical performance of Fe₃O₄/Fe/MWCNT nanocomposite electrodes. - Abstract: Nanocomposites containing Fe₃O₄/Fe/multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) were prepared via an electrical wire pulse process (a top-down approach) using Fe wire and dispersed, functionalized MWCNT in deionized water (DIW) at room temperature. The structural and electrochemical characteristics of the resulting nanocomposites were investigated in detail. When used as an anode for Li ion batteries, the Fe₃O₄/Fe/MWCNT nanocomposites exhibited greater cycle stability and rate performance than plain Fe₃O₄/Fe composites, with a capacity of 460 mA h g⁻¹ at a rate of 168 mA g⁻¹ after 50 cycles. The enhanced performance was attributed to superior electrical conductivity and buffering effect of the MWCNTs on volume changes of the anodes. This process is a promising facile method for lithium ion battery anode material synthesis