Building hierarchically hybridized carbon to anchor SnO2 nanoparticles for greatly enhanced lithium storage

Abstract

Tin oxide (SnO2) is one of the promising anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) owing to its high specific capacity and low cost. However, the sluggish Li+ storage kinetics and huge volume change seriously restrict its rapid charge/discharge capability and cycle stability. Herein, we demonstrate a novel structure of ultrafine SnO2 nanoparticles anchored on carbon nanotubes foam with subsequent carbon coating (SnO2/NCF-CNTs@C). In which, NCF-CNTs can served as conductive substrates for SnO2 nanoparticles, promoting the transfer for both electrons and ions. In addition, the carbon coating layer can prevent the falling and pulverization of SnO2 nanoparticles and meanwhile alleviate the volume expansion during the electrochemical processes. Therefore, the SnO2/NCF-CNTs@C hybrids show excellent rate and cycle performance, which achieves a reversible capacity of 1059.2 mA h g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 and 518.2 mA h g−1 at 5.0 A g−1 and 554.9 mA h g−1 can be remained after 500 cycles at 2.0 A g−1.