Electrochemical lithiation and delithiation of FeSb2 anodes for lithium-ion batteries

Iron antimonide, FeSb2, has been prepared by levitation melting. The electrochemical cycling behaviors of FeSb2 were evaluated using lithium-ion model cell Li/LiPF6(EC+DMC)/FeSb2. It was found that the reversible capacity of FeSb2 in the first cycle reached 507 mA h g-1, and a reversible capacity of about 282 mA h g-1 was still maintained after 15 cycles. In our present work, we also found that the FeSb2/mesocarbon microbeads (MCMB) composite material possessed higher initial reversible capacity and better cycle life than pure FeSb2, which made it suitable for use as anode material in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.