Construction of heterostructured NiFe2O4-C nanorods by transition metal recycling from simulated electroplating sludge leaching solution for high performance lithium ion batteries

Abstract

NiFe₂O₄ has been regarded as one of the promising candidates for lithium-ion battery (LIB) anode materials due to its high theoretical specific capacity. However, the large volume expansion and pulverization of NiFe₂O₄ during the charge/discharge process result in severe capacity fading. Herein, heterostructured NiFe₂O₄-C nanorods have been successfully fabricated by recovering transition metals from simulated electroplating sludge leaching solution. The constructed NiFe₂O₄-C heterointerface plays a vital role in accommodating volume change, stabilizing the reaction products and providing rapid electron and Li⁺ ion transportation ability, resulting in a high and stable Li⁺ accommodation performance. The fabricated NiFe₂O₄-C nanorods demonstrate a high specific capacity (889.9 mA h g⁻¹ at 100 mA g⁻¹), impressive rate capability (861.5, 704.5, 651.4, 579.6 and 502.1 mA h g⁻¹ at 0.2, 0.6, 1.0, 2.0 and 5.0 A g⁻¹) and cycling stability (650.2 mA h g⁻¹ at 2 A g⁻¹ after 500 cycles). This work exemplifies a facile and effective approach for the fabrication of high performance LIB electrode materials by recycling metals from electroplating sludge in an application-oriented manner.