Hierarchical flower-like Fe ₂ O ₃ mesoporous nanosheets with superior electrochemical lithium storage performance

In order to satisfy the requirement of high energy density and long cyclability for lithium-ion batteries, Fe ²⁺ self-doped hierarchical flower-like mesoporous Fe ₂ O ₃ nanosheets with a high specific surface area of 120.57 m ² g ⁻¹ are prepared through ultrafast microwave assisted systhesis and post calcination. The obtained Fe ₂ O ₃ exhibits a superior electrochemical performance on lithium storage (2000 mA h g ^-1 at 400 mA g ^-1 up to 300 cycles and 1750 mA h g ⁻¹ at 1 A g ^-1 even up to 1000 cycles) and excellent cycling stability, which are likely to be associated with the specific structure and increased electronic conductivity contributed from Fe ²⁺ defects. These findings not only enormously improve the electrochemical property of Fe ₂ O ₃ anode, but offer a new perspective for designing of distinctive nanomaterials for various energy devices.