Thermally reshaped polyvinylpyrrolidone/SnO2@p-toluenesulfonic acid-doped polypyrrole nanocables with high capacity and excellent cycle performance as anode for lithium-ion batteries

Abstract

SnO2 is one of the classic high-capacity anode candidates for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, its practical application is limited by its low electrical conductivity and inferior cycling performance, where the poor cycle performance is mainly caused by large volume changes during the charging/discharging process. In this work, unique thermally reshaped polyvinylpyrrolidone/SnO2@p-toluenesulfonic acid-doped polypyrrole (T-PVP/SnO2@D-PPy) nanocables have been prepared by a combination of electrospinning and chemical synthesis. The T-PVP/SnO2@D-PPy nanocables have a wrapped nanoarchitecture providing a strong synergistic effect, which results in high conductivity and small volume changes during the charging/discharging processes. The T-PVP/SnO2@D-PPy nanocables could deliver a high reversible capacity of 858.2 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles at a current density of 100 mA g−1, indicating the outstanding electrochemical performance. This work provides an elegant method to improve the electrochemical performance of SnO2-based anodes for next-generation lithium-ion batteries and energy storage systems.