One-pot sonochemical synthesis of magnetite@reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite for high performance Li ion storage.

In this research, we introduce a one-pot sonochemical method for the fabrication of magnetite@reduced graphene oxide (FeO@rGO) nanocomposite as anode material for Li-ion batteries. FeO@rGO is synthesized under ultrasonic irradiations by using iron (II) salt and GO as raw materials. An in-situ oxidation-reduction occurs between GO and Fe during the ultrasonic chemical reaction process. FeO particles with the size of ∼20 nm are uniformly deposited on the surface of rGO nanosheets. The electrochemical activity of FeO@rGO is systematically evaluated as an anode material in Li-ion battery. Li-ion cells using FeO@rGO as electrode deliver high discharge and charge capacities of 1433.6 and 907.8 mAh g in the initial cycle at 200 mA g. Even performed at 500 and 5000 mA g, it is able to deliver reversible capacities of 846.4 and 355.6 mAh g, respectively, demonstrating outstanding Li-ion storage performance. This research presents a straightforward and efficient method for the fabrication of FeO@rGO, which holds great potential in synthesis of other metal oxides on graphene sheets.