LAUSR

Abstract Nanostructured nickel iron oxide is synthesized through nanocasting route using a hard template. For this purpose mesoporous silica is first synthesized in the presence of P123 co-polymer. The silica matrix is then impregnated by iron and nickel solution followed by calcination at 600○C. Finally, the silica template is removed using NaOH at 40○C to obtain mesoporous NiFe2O4. The crystal structure of the synthesized powder is characterized using XRD, and the microstructure is evaluated by TEM and BET surface area measurements. The TEM and BET studies reveal that the synthesized NiFe2O4 nanowires have a mesoporous structure with a large surface area of 198 m2 g−1. As a reliable anode material for lithium ion batteries, the mesoporous NiFe2O4 shows a promising cyclic performance by maintaining a high capacity of 537 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles of charge/discharge, at 0.1 A g−1.