In-situ grown flower-like C@SnO2/Cu2O nanosheet clusters on Cu foam as high performance anode for lithium-ion batteries

Abstract

Tin dioxide (SnO2) is considered as one of promising anode materials in lithium-ion batteries due to its high specific discharge capacity, low cost and environmental friendliness. However, practical application of SnO2 is still hindered by severe capacity fading, poor cycling stability and inferior rate performance due to volume expansion during charge/discharge processes. To overcome this problem, composites of flower-like carbon layer (thickness: ~1.5 nm) enwrapped SnO2/Cu2O (thickness: ~20 nm; length: ~ 200 nm) anchored on Cu foam were in-situ synthesized by facile hydrothermal method and subsequent annealing. Compared with pure SnO2, such novel hierarchical structure effectively enhancs the conductivity and structural stability of the composites as integrated electrode for lithium-ion batteries. Electrochemical studies reveal superior lithium storage capability, cycle stability, and rate performance for C@SnO2/Cu2O nanosheet clusters with discharge capacity of 1726 mAh g−1 in first cycle and 814 mAh g−1 after 300 cycles at 0.5 C, as well as 425 mAh g−1 at 2 A g−1. Therefore, C@SnO2/Cu2O nanosheet clusters possess great potential for scientific research and future application in lithium-ion batteries.