Synthesis and electrochemical properties of Pb/Sb@C composite for lithium-ion battery application

Abstract

Sb-based metal composite with high theoretical capacity and lower voltage platform is considered as ideal anode material for lithium-ion battery (LIB) application; however, it exhibits volume expansion and structure pulverization during the lithium-ion insertion/extraction process, which leads specific capacity loss during cycling process. In this work, the Pb/Sb@C composite was synthesized successfully by rheological reaction method firstly. The structure of Pb/Sb@C composite was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The morphologies of Pb/Sb@C composite were observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The electrochemical properties were tested by battery comprehensive testing system. The Pb/Sb@C composite with a composition of 6.22 At% Pb, 11.94 At% Sb, and 81.84 At% C (noted as PSC-2) owns high initial specific capacity (1300 mAh g−1) and retained it as 950 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 after 100 cycles. The Pb/Sb@C composite with typical composition can behave higher reversible capacity and better rate performance. The related electrochemical mechanisms were presented also. The Pb/Sb@C composite with optimized composition (PSC-2) is a promising anode material for the lithium-ion battery application.