New Hexagonally Ordered Monolayer Electrode with Monodisperse Carbon/Fe3O4 Microspheres for High Performance Lithium Ion Battery Anodes

Abstract

This work details the facile preparation of a hexagonally ordered monolayer electrode with monodispersed hollow C/Fe3O4 microspheres as a novel anode candidate for lithium-ion batteries. The monolayer electrode was produced by the heat treatment of a polyvinyl alcohol film comprising a monolayer of microspheres. The electrode was prepared by stamping with microspheres assembled into the monolayer, using an ordered patterning micro-framework polydimethylsiloxane on a polyvinyl alcohol spin-coated cupper foil. The morphological and structural characterizations of the monolayer electrode were conducted by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, focused-ion beam scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffractometery. Although the monolayer electrode was composed of the active materials only without the use of any polymeric binder or carbon additives such as acetylene black and Super-P, the electrode exhibited a superior long-term cycling stability and rate capability with the coulombic efficiency of 99% at a high current rate due to the good structural stability and low electrical resistance as a result of the ordered monolayer structure.