Fe3O4 nanoparticle/graphene aerogel composite with enhanced lithium storage performance

Highlights: • Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles/3D graphene aerogel are obtained by a simple method. • As-prepared composite displays good electrochemical lithium storage performance. • Our Fe₃O₄/graphene composite delivers a high capacity of 434 mAh g⁻¹ at 2 A g⁻¹. • As-prepared composite delivers a high reversible capacity of 985 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1 A g⁻¹ after 100 cycles. • Contribution of the pseudocapacitance capacity can explicate good rate capability of the Fe₃O₄/GA composite. Fe₃O₄ nanoparticle/graphene aerogel (Fe₃O₄/GA) composite is fabricated by a simple one-step liquid phase precipitation method without further heat-treatment. The reduction of graphene oxide, deposition of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticle and formation of 3D graphene nanosheet network can happen simultaneously during preparation process, guaranteeing the uniform distribution of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles on the surface of graphene nanosheets. The influence of the graphene amount in the Fe₃O₄/GA composites on electrochemical performance is investigated. The as-prepared Fe₃O₄/GA composite with a graphene content of 25% displays good electrochemical lithium storage performance (a high reversible capacity of 985 mAh g⁻¹ at a current density of 0.1 A g⁻¹ after 100 cycles) and good rate capability (434 mAh g⁻¹ at the current density as high as 2 A g⁻¹). Moreover, the contribution of the pseudocapacitance capacity can explicate the origin of good rate capability of the Fe₃O₄/GA composite. This work demonstrates the great potential of Fe₃O₄/GA composite as an alternative anode material for the low-cost and high-performance lithium ion batteries.