Encapsulated Fe3O4 into tubular mesoporous carbon as a superior performance anode material for lithium-ion batteries

A well-defined composite of Fe3O4 encapsulated into tubular mesoporous carbon is prepared as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries. It turns out that up to 67.7 wt% of Fe3O4 nanoparticles are homogeneously embedded into the mesoporous carbon nanotubes. The Fe3O4@tubular mesoporous carbon composites provide effective accommodation for the volume change, fast transport paths for electrons and ions, as well as good contact for nanoparticles, thus exhibiting superior electrochemical performances. The reversible capacity maintains a high specific capacity of ∼800 mAh g−1 after 1000 cycles at 2000 mA g−1, and the electrode still keeps a reasonable level of ∼400 mAh g−1 even going through 16000 cycles at 10000 mA g−1, which makes Fe3O4@tubular mesoporous carbon composite a valuable anode material for lithium-ion batteries.