Sn/Graphene Binary Nanocomposite Anode Electrodes for High-Performance Li-Ion Battery Applications

Abstract

In this study, nanosized tin nanoparticles are synthesized by chemical reduction technique. A facile strategy is also developed in order to synthesize the nanocomposite of tin (Sn) nanoparticles anchored on conducting graphene as an advanced anode material for high-performance lithium-ion batteries. The Sn nanoparticles obtained are 10–50 nm in size and homogeneously anchor on graphene sheets as spacers to keep the neighboring sheets separated. Detailed characterization of the resulting composite materials was performed using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction methods. The Sn/graphene electrode material exhibits a stable reversible capacity of 670 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles as the anode of lithium-ion batteries, indicating that the composites might have a promising future application in Li-ion batteries. The results have shown that Sn/graphene nanocomposite displays superior Li-ion battery performance with large reversible capacity, excellent cyclic performance, and good rate capability, highlighting the importance of the anchoring of nanoparticles on graphene sheets for maximum utilization of electrochemically active Sn nanoparticles and graphene for energy storage applications in high-performance lithium-ion batteries.