Formation of Uniform N‐doped Carbon‐Coated SnO2 Submicroboxes with Enhanced Lithium Storage Properties

Abstract

Rational design and preparation of SnO2‐based materials with superior electrochemical performance for lithium‐ion batteries are highly desirable. In this work, the synthesis of SnO2/nitrogen‐doped carbon (SnO2/NC) submicroboxes with excellent lithium storage properties is reported. The as‐synthesized SnO2/NC submicroboxes are highly porous with a high specific surface area of 125 m2 g−1, well‐defined hollow structure (around 400 nm in size) with a shell thickness of 40 nm, and ultrasmall SnO2 nanoparticles uniformly coated with nitrogen‐doped carbon layer. As a result, the SnO2/NC submicroboxes show outstanding electrochemical performance as an anode material for lithium‐ion batteries. A high reversible capacity of 491 mAh g−1 can be retained after 100 cycles at a current density of 0.5 A g−1.