Researchers at Linyi University developed a lithium-ion battery anode from iron atoms embedded in porous carbon. The material, called Fe40-N4C-900, delivered 1180 mAh/g after 1000 cycles and kept 235 mAh/g at a high 10 A/g rate. That is well above the 372 mAh/g theoretical limit of graphite anodes used in most batteries today. The team used a one-step pyrolysis process starting from ZIF-8, a metal-organic framework, with a small amount of iron nitrate. The zinc in the framework evaporates during heating, leaving pores behind, while the iron forms isolated Fe-N4 sites. The approach avoids the metal clumping that plagues other synthesis routes. Higher capacity anodes could mean longer EV range and cheaper grid storage per kWh, if the material performs in full cells under commercial loading. The study was published in the Journal of the Saudi Chemical Society.
