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.