Dual-network nanoporous NiFe₂O₄/NiO composites for high performance Li-ion battery anodes

The electrochemical properties of traditional graphite anodes cannot meet the current market requirements, which restrict the commercial applications of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Herein, we report a facile one-step dealloying strategy to fabricate dual-network nanoporous NiFe₂O₄/NiO composites. The composite presents excellent electrochemical performance, delivering a high reversible capacity of 1618 mAh g⁻¹ at 200 mA g⁻¹ for 100 cycles followed at 500 mA g⁻¹ for 250 cycles. Even at 1000 mA g⁻¹, a specific capacity of 416 mAh g⁻¹ can be retained after 2000 cycles. The good electrochemical performance ascribes to the synergistic effect of two kinds of active materials (NiFe₂O₄ and NiO) and the unique dual-network porous structure, in which the plenty of pores can accommodate the volume change during the charge/discharge cycling while a mass of mesopores on the skeletons shorten the diffusion distances of ions and electrons. The employed strategy opens a door for the novel structural design of dealloyed anode materials, which may facilitate the further development of the dealloying technique for various application fields.