Applied Nanophotonics, Liquid Crystals and Biomedical Optics

Multi-shell hollow structure metal oxide materials, with the larger surface area and short diffusion lengths, are very promising for lithium-ion battery application as anode materials. However, the production of multi-shelled hollow structure is relatively cumbersome, and it is difficult to fabricate multi component metal oxide hollow structures. Herein, we developed a new one-step hydrothermal method for synthesizing α-Fe ₂ O ₃ triple-shell hollow microspheres (TSHMs) by introducing urea as a coordination competitive agent. The triple-shell hollow structured α-Fe ₂ O ₃ accommodates large volume change and provides abundant active sites enable it as an ideal material for lithium ion battery applications. We have demonstrated the high specific capacity of 903.6 mA h g ⁻¹ at a current density of 500 mA g ⁻¹ even after 1000 cycles by using the α-Fe ₂ O ₃ TSHMs as anode material.