The yolk–shell Fe3O4@C nanocubes were successfully synthesized through carbothermic reduction process from carbon-coated α-Fe2O3 precursor. The results show that the yolk–shell Fe3O4@C nanocubes are uniformly coated with a thin carbon layer, and a clear cavity about 150 nm in width between Fe3O4 core and carbon shell are formed due to the volume shrinkage during the reduction treatment. The obtained yolk–shell Fe3O4@C nanocubes exhibit excellent cycling stability (the discharge capacity is 709.7 mA·h/g after 100 cycles at the current density of 0.1C) and rate performance (1023.4 mA·h/g at 0.1C, 932.5 mA·h/g at 0.2C, 756.1 mA·h/g at 0.5C, 405.6 mA·h/g at 1C, and 332.3 mA·h/g at 2C, and more importantly, when the current density finally backs to 0.1C, a capacity of 776.8 mA·h/g can be restored). The outstanding lithium storage properties may be attributed to the unique yolk–shell structures.
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