Fe/Fe3C homogeneously dispersed in 2D porous nitrogen-doped graphitic carbon nanomeshes (N-Fe/Fe3C@C nanomeshes) was prepared by a novel template-free method using the polypyrrole–Fe (PPy–Fe) coordination complex as a precursor. The designed architecture is beneficial to electron transport and accommodation of the strains of Li insertion/extraction. As an anode material for Li-ion batteries, the as-prepared composite exhibits a reversible capacity of 1316 mA h g?1 (normalized to the mass of Fe/Fe3C in the composite) with extremely excellent cycling performance at high rate (nearly 100% capacity retention after 500 cycles) and good rate capability. The synthesis approach presents a promising route for a large-scale production of N-Fe/Fe3C@C nanomesh composites as an extremely durable high-rate anode material for Li-ion batteries.
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