title: Silk-regulated hierarchical hollow magnetite/carbon nanocomposite spheroids for lithium-ion battery anodes.
abstract: Hierarchical olive-like structured carbon-Fe3O4 nanocomposite particles composed of a hollow interior and a carbon coated surface are prepared by a facile, silk protein-assisted hydrothermal method. Silk nanofibers as templates and carbon precursors first regulate the formation of hollow Fe2O3 microspheres and then they are converted into carbon by a reduction process into Fe3O4. This process significantly simplifies the fabrication and carbon coating processes to form complex hollow structures. When tested as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, these hollow carbon-coated particles exhibit high capacity (900 mAh g(-1)), excellent cycle stability (180 cycles) and rate performance due to their unique hierarchical hollow structure and carbon coating.
authors.affiliation: National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk and Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Weiqin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sheng
authors.forename: Guobin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.forename: Chuanbao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Hesun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D012831:Bombyx; D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D011211:Electric Power Supplies; D004563:Electrochemistry; D005290:Ferric Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008863:Microspheres; D053761:Nanocomposites / Q000737:chemistry*; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000737:chemistry; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry; D047011:Silk / Q000737:chemistry*; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D005290:Ferric Compounds; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D047011:Silk; C000499:ferric oxide; D002244:Carbon