Biological Metabolism Synthesis of Metal Oxides Nanorods from Bacteria as a Biofactory toward High-Performance Lithium-Ion Battery Anodes

Increasing awareness toward environmental remediation and renewable energy has led to a vigorous demand for exploring a win-win strategy to realize the eco-efficient conversion of pollutants ("trash") into energy-storage nanomaterials ("treasure"). Inspired by the biological metabolism of bacteria, Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (A. ferrooxidans) is successfully exploited as a promising eco-friendly sustainable biofactory for the controllable fabrication of alpha-Fe2O3 nanorods via the oxidation of soluble ferrous irons to insoluble ferric substances (Jarosite, KFe3(SO4)(2)(OH)(6)) and a facile subsequent heat treatment. It is demonstrated that the stable solid electrolyte interphase layers and marvelous cracks in situ formed in biometabolic alpha-Fe2O3 nanorods play important roles that not only significantly enhance the structure stability but also facilitate electron and ion transfer. Consequently, these biometabolic alpha-Fe2O3 nanorods deliver a superior stable capacity of 673.9 mAh g(-1) at 100 mA g(-1) over 200 cycles and a remarkable multi-rate capability that observably prevails over the commercial counterpart. It is highly expected that such biological synthesis strategies can shed new light on an emerging field of research interconnecting biotechnology, energy technology, environmental technology, and nanotechnology.