In this work, we have studied a 2% copper substituted core shell type iron/iron carbide as a negative electrode for application in energy storage. The NanoFe-Fe3C-Cu delivered 367 mAh g(-1) at approximate to 80% current efficiency, successfully running for over 300 cycles. The superior electrode kinetics and performance were assessed by rate capability, galvanostatic, potentiodynamic polarization measurements in 6 M KOH electrolyte and at ambient temperature. Ex-situ XRD characterizations and SEM images of both the fresh and used electrode surfaces show that nanoparticles were found to be still intact with negligible particle agglomeration. The electrodes have shown stable performances with low capacity decay, whereas sulfur dissolution from the additive Bi2S3 was found to decrease the charging efficiency with time. This core-shell type structured nano material is, consequently, an auspicious anode candidate in alkaline-metal/air and Ni-Fe battery systems. (C) The Author(s) 2017. Published by ECS. All rights reserved.