Quasiemulsion-templated formation of α-Fe2O3 hollow spheres with enhanced lithium storage properties.

α-Fe(2)O(3) hollow spheres with sheet-like subunits are synthesized by a facile quasiemulsion-templated method. Glycerol is dispersed in water to form oil-in-water quasiemulsion microdroplets, which serve as soft templates for the deposition of the α-Fe(2)O(3) shell. When tested as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, these α-Fe(2)O(3) hollow spheres manifest greatly enhanced Li storage properties.