Abstract
Tin-oxide and graphene (TG) composites were fabricated using the Electrostatic Spray Deposition (ESD) technique, and tested as anode materials for Li-ion batteries. The electrochemical performance of the as-deposited TG composites were compared to heat-treated TG composites along with pure tin-oxide films. The heat-treated composites exhibited superior specific capacity and energy density than both the as-deposited TG composites and tin oxide samples. At the 70th cycle, the specific capacities of the as-deposited and post heat-treated samples were 534 and 737 mA·h/g, respectively, and the corresponding energy densities of the as-deposited and heat-treated composites were 1240 and 1760 W·h/kg, respectively. This improvement in the electrochemical performance of the TG composite anodes as compared to the pure tin oxide samples is attributed to the synergy between tin oxide and graphene, which increases the electrical conductivity of tin oxide and helps alleviate volumetric changes in tin-oxide during cycling.
Highlights
To meet the ever increasing energy requirements for modern communication and transportation systems, much research have been invested in improving the performance of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs)
The literature reporting the use of tin oxide and graphene composites as LIB electrodes has utilized various methods to fabricate these composites including—self-assembly [15], in situ chemical synthesis [18], hydrolysis [19], reduction [20], etc
The as-deposited pure tin oxide sample (Figure 1a) shows a porous structure which is typical of an Electrostatic Spray Deposition (ESD) sample deposited from a precursor whereas the as-deposited graphene shows a dense film like morphology, which is expected since no reaction is taking place while deposition
Summary
To meet the ever increasing energy requirements for modern communication and transportation systems, much research have been invested in improving the performance of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). One of the most researched areas is the development of novel electrode materials for LIBs, Nanomaterials 2013, 3 mostly including the usage and development of nanostructures [1,2,3,4] Due to their high theoretical specific capacity, amorphous tin oxides have been reported as promising candidates for rechargeable. Graphene can act as a buffer for volumetric changes during cycling by acting as an inactive matrix when Sn alloys with Li. The literature reporting the use of tin oxide and graphene composites as LIB electrodes has utilized various methods to fabricate these composites including—self-assembly [15], in situ chemical synthesis [18], hydrolysis [19], reduction [20], etc. Tin-oxide and graphene whereas the better performance of the heat-treated samples with respect to as-deposited samples can be attributed to the improvement in crystallinity with heat treatment
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