A facile one-pot method for synthesis of low-cost iron oxide/activated carbon nanotube electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries.

We designed a facile one-pot method to synthesize iron oxide/activated carbon nanotubes (IO/ACNTs) using as-prepared carbon nanotubes (APCNTs) modified by alkali solid-activation. The open-ended CNTs and iron oxide loading could be realized in one step. The resulting IO/ACNT hybrids, as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), exhibited high reversible lithium storage capacity and excellent rate capability, which make APCNTs potentially useful for large-scale applications in LIBs.