PVD synthesis of binder-free silicon and carbon coated 3D Α-Fe₂O₃ nanorods hybrid films as high-capacity and long-life anode for flexible lithium-ion batteries

Flexible lithium-ion batteries are being given great attention as up-and-coming power source for the development of flexible and wearable electronic devices. In this work, a carbon and silicon coated 3D α-Fe₂O₃ nanorod arrays on carbon cloth composite was firstly designed by facile hydrothermal method and physical vapor deposition process. The as-prepared composite can be directly applied as flexible anode for Li-ion batteries without adding any binder and conducting materials. The electrochemical results show that the composite exhibits outstanding electrochemical lithium storage properties with high initial Coulombic Efficiency of 76% at 100 mA g⁻¹ current density and a superior cycling performance that could maintain about 910 mAh·g⁻¹ after 500 cycles at a 500 mA g⁻¹ current density, which is two to three times of commercial graphite anodes. This study offers a promising route to greatly enhance the electrochemical properties of metal oxides and provides suggestive insights for developing high-performance electrode materials for flexible energy storage devices.