# Unveiling Potential of Gallium Ferrite (GaFeO3) as an Anode Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries

## TL;DR

This paper explores gallium ferrite (GaFeO3) as a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries, showing high capacity and stability.

## Contribution

The study introduces gallium ferrite (GaFeO3) as a novel alloy-conversion-based anode material for lithium-ion batteries.

## Key findings

- GFO exhibits a high discharge capacity of ∼887 mA h g–1 and retains ∼200 mA h g–1 over 450 cycles.
- Cyclic voltammetry and DFT studies confirm an alloy-conversion mechanism and Li-ion diffusion pathways in GFO.

## Abstract

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) serve as the backbone of
modern technologies
with ongoing efforts to enhance their performance and sustainability
driving the exploration of new electrode materials. This study introduces
a new type of alloy-conversion-based gallium ferrite (GFO: GaFeO3) as a potential anode material for Li-ion battery applications.
The GFO was synthesized by a one-step mechanochemistry-assisted solid-state
method. The powder X-ray diffraction analysis confirms the presence
of an orthorhombic phase with the Pc21n space group. The photoelectron spectroscopy studies
reveal the presence of Ga3+ and Fe3+ oxidation
states of gallium and iron atoms in the GFO structure. The GFO was
evaluated as an anode material for Li-ion battery applications, displaying
a high discharge capacity of ∼887 mA h g–1 and retaining a stable capacity of ∼200 mA h g–1 over 450 cycles, with a Coulombic efficiency of 99.6 % at a current
density of 100 mA g–1. Cyclic voltammetry studies
confirm an alloy-conversion-based reaction mechanism in the GFO anode.
Furthermore, density functional theory studies reveal the reaction
mechanism during cycling and Li-ion diffusion pathways in the GFO
anode. These results strongly suggest that the GFO could be an alternative
anode material in LIBs.