Synthesis of hierarchical binary core‐branch nanocomposite of carbon microspheres@α‐Fe2O3 for enhancing electrochemical behavior

Abstract

AbstractA facial strategy for the synthesis of hierarchical binary core‐branch carbon microspheres (CMS)@α‐Fe2O3 is presented. X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high‐resolution TEM (HR‐TEM), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) were used to characterize the structural and morphological properties of the products. XRD diffraction analysis of CMS@α‐Fe2O3 reveals the highly crystalline nature of α‐Fe2O3 in the hierarchical binary core‐branch CMS@α‐Fe2O3 nanocomposite. Morphological analyses show that the α‐Fe2O3 shell layer grew onto the surface of CMS to form nanoscale heterointerfaces in the core‐branch structure, demonstrating the effectiveness of the synthesized route. More importantly, CMS@α‐Fe2O3 demonstrated superior electrochemical behavior to CMS. The enhanced CMS@α‐Fe2O3 electrochemical performance can be attributed to its large specific surface area, which allows for the rapid transfer of electrons into the electrode during the redox process.