Design and synthesis of dodecahedral carbon nanocages incorporated with Fe3O4

Abstract

Novel dodecahedral carbon nanocages (NCs) modified with Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄/C NCs) were constructed by utilizing a zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8) as the template and polydopamine (PDA) as the carbon source. The obtained nanocages not only display specific morphology with controllable feature structures, but also possess a large surface area and inner cavity. This unique structure of the nanocages and special synthesis approach make Fe₃O₄ NPs homogenously distributed in the system, which further enriched the function of the carbon nanocages. Due to the integrated functional nanoparticles and large interior of such specific structures, the as-prepared Fe₃O₄/C NCs are further used as anode materials in lithium ion batteries (LIBs), which exhibit high activity in lithiation/delithiation cycling process and stable capacity retention. The nanocages we prepared may provide a train of thought to construct a series of hollow carbon nanostructures with functional materials incorporated.