Incorporation Of Sn Research Articles

Drastically enhanced cation incorporation in the epitaxy of oxides due to formation and evaporation of suboxides from elemental sources

In the molecular beam epitaxy of oxide films, the cation (Sn, Ga) or dopant (Sn) incorporation does not follow the vapor pressure of the elemental metal sources but is enhanced by several orders of magnitude for low source temperatures. Using line-of-sight quadrupole mass spectrometry, we identify the dominant contribution to the total flux emanating from Sn and Ga sources at these temperatures to be due to the unintentional formation and evaporation of the respective suboxides SnO and Ga2O. We quantitatively describe this phenomenon by using a rate-equation model that takes into account the O2 background pressure, the resulting formation of the suboxides via oxidation of the metal source, and their subsequent thermally activated evaporation. As a result, the total flux composed of the metal and the suboxide fluxes exhibits an S-shaped temperature dependence instead of the expected linear one in an Arrhenius plot, which is in excellent agreement with the available experimental data. Our model reveals that the thermally activated regimes at low and high temperatures are almost exclusively due to suboxide and metal evaporation, respectively, joined by an intermediate plateau-like regime in which the flux is limited by the available amount of O2. An important suboxide contribution is expected for all elemental sources whose suboxide exhibits a higher vapor pressure than that of the element, such as B, Ga, In, La, Si, Ge, Sn, Sb, Mo, Nb, Ru, Ta, V, and W. This contribution can play a decisive role in the molecular beam epitaxy of oxides, including multicomponent or complex oxides, from elemental sources. Finally, our model predicts suboxide-dominated growth in low-pressure chemical vapor deposition of Ga2O3 and In2O3.

High Hole Mobility of Polycrystalline GeSn Layers Grown by Hot‐Wire Chemical Vapor Deposition on Diamond Substrates

The conditions for the growth of polycrystalline GeSn layers on diamond substrates are determined. The effect of the incorporation of Sn in Ge layers on their morphology, structure, and transport properties is studied. GeSn layers with a thickness of 0.5 μm, obtained by the hot‐wire chemical vapor deposition method at 300 °C without annealing, are uniform with a surface roughness of less than 1.0 nm. It is shown that the incorporation of 1% Sn into the Ge lattice makes it possible to significantly increase the hole mobility of the GeSn layers from 30 to 140 cm2 V−1 s−1 despite the small crystallite grain size of 35–45 nm.

Composite-controlled electrospinning of CuSn bimetallic nanoparticles/carbon nanofibers for electrochemical glucose sensor

Carbon nanofibers (CNFs), which possess excellent physical and chemical properties, have been widely used as supporting substrates of active metals (oxides). Due to the advantages of simple operation and high efficiency, electrospinning technology have become one of the most popular methods to produce CNFs and its composites. In this work, CuSn bimetallic nanoparticles/CNFs (CuSn/CNFs) were synthesized by electrospinning technique, and the effect of Sn incorporation on Cu/CNFs was investigated, indicating that the addition of appropriate amount of Sn could significantly enhance the electrocatalytic performance of Cu/CNFs for glucose oxidation. Under optimal conditions, the sensor exhibited excellent response towards the concentration of glucose with wide linear range (0.1–9,000 μM), low detection limit of 0.08 μM (S/N = 3), and fast response time (about 3 s). The proposed sensor shows good recovery in the detection of human serum, indicating that CuSn/CNFs hold great potential in electrochemical sensors.

Synergy in Sn-Mn oxide boosting the hydrogenation catalysis of supported Pt nanoparticles for selective conversion of levulinic acid

The synergistic effect in a bimetallic oxide usually plays a vital role in determining the behavior of supported-metal catalysts. We show the unique synergy in a SnxMn1Oy oxide, which can boost the hydrogenation catalysis of supported Pt nanoparticles for selective conversion of levulinic acid (LA) to γ-valerolactone (GVL). On a series of Pt/SnxMn1Oy catalysts with a similar Pt loading (ca. 0.44 wt%) and a controlled Pt size (ca. 2.7 nm), the intrinsic TOF presents a volcano-like dependence on Pt0 sites and Lewis acidity, which is determined by the variable synergistic effect between MnOy and SnOy. The optimal Pt/Sn0.8Mn1Oy catalyst exhibits a high iTOF of 2709 h−1 and achieves 100% selectivity to GVL at 99% conversion of LA at 120 ℃ and 2 MPa of H2. DFT calculations demonstrate that the incorporation of Sn can provide a lower energy barrier for the crucial elementary reactions.

Extended Compositional Range for the Synthesis of SWIR and LWIR Ge1–ySny Alloys and Device Structures via CVD of SnH4 and Ge3H8

A chemical vapor deposition (CVD) strategy is presented for the synthesis of Ge1–ySny alloys on Si wafers with band gaps in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) range of 1.8–2.6 μm, as well as in the long-wave infrared (LWIR) at 12 μm and beyond. This broad compositional versatility is achieved by CVD reactions of Ge3H8 and SnH4 as Ge and Sn precursors, respectively. The use of conventional SnH4 instead of the previously used SnD4 is found to be critical in synthesizing alloys with Sn contents between 30 and 36%, suggesting that at very low temperatures required to grow these supersaturated alloys, the incorporation of Sn is reaction-rate-dependent. The SnD4 precursor was historically preferred to SnH4 due to its longer lifetime at room temperature. However, the difference is found not to be significant from a practical perspective, and the fact that SnH4 can be synthesized from cheap and readily available starting materials represents a significant cost reduction and portends feasibility for commercial applications. The subtle differences between SnD4 and SnH4 that may explain why alloys with Sn incorporation higher than 30% can only be achieved with the latter are discussed in detail. Optical experiments indicate that such concentrations may be sufficient to cover much of the LWIR range. Device structures containing SWIR Ge1–ySny alloys were grown with the SnH4 precursor to demonstrate its suitability as a viable Sn source. The fabricated heterostructure pin diodes display excellent structural properties and a clear rectifying behavior, providing evidence that SnH4 is a practical and versatile CVD source of Sn at all concentrations of practical interest.

Microwave Synthesis of Sn-Doped NiO/CNT Composites: The Effect of Sn Incorporation on Their Supercapacitive Properties

Microwave Synthesis of Sn-Doped NiO/CNT Composites: The Effect of Sn Incorporation on Their Supercapacitive Properties

Enhanced Thermoelectric Performance of n-Type Bi2Se3 Nanosheets through Sn Doping.

The cost-effective conversion of low-grade heat into electricity using thermoelectric devices requires developing alternative materials and material processing technologies able to reduce the currently high device manufacturing costs. In this direction, thermoelectric materials that do not rely on rare or toxic elements such as tellurium or lead need to be produced using high-throughput technologies not involving high temperatures and long processes. Bi2Se3 is an obvious possible Te-free alternative to Bi2Te3 for ambient temperature thermoelectric applications, but its performance is still low for practical applications, and additional efforts toward finding proper dopants are required. Here, we report a scalable method to produce Bi2Se3 nanosheets at low synthesis temperatures. We studied the influence of different dopants on the thermoelectric properties of this material. Among the elements tested, we demonstrated that Sn doping resulted in the best performance. Sn incorporation resulted in a significant improvement to the Bi2Se3 Seebeck coefficient and a reduction in the thermal conductivity in the direction of the hot-press axis, resulting in an overall 60% improvement in the thermoelectric figure of merit of Bi2Se3.

Enhanced oxygen reduction electrocatalysis on PtCoSn alloy nanocatalyst mediated by Ta-doped SnO2 support for polymer electrolyte fuel cells

For polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs), platinum-based catalysts for the air cathode supported on metal oxides such as SnO2 exhibit highly promising durability. Yet, the activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has still not been sufficiently high toward widespread application. Here, we report a new type of catalyst with significantly boosted ORR activity, based on PtCoSn alloy nanostructures formed on Ta-doped SnO2 support (PtCoSn/Ta-SnO2). The ORR activity of the PtCoSn/Ta-SnO2 catalyst is evaluated in acidic media (0.1 M HClO4) from 20 to 80 °C. The apparent rate constants (kapp) for the ORR on PtCoSn/Ta-SnO2 are found to be about 4.5 and 1.5 times greater than those of commercial Pt and Pt3Co alloy catalysts supported on carbon black (c-Pt/C and c-Pt3Co/C), respectively, and increase with temperature, in accordance with an Arrhenius-type relation from 20 to 60 °C. The enhanced ORR rates of the PtCoSn/Ta-SnO2 catalyst can be correlated with an increase in the preexponential factor of the Arrhenius equation, together with a lowered activation energy. Experimental and density functional theory results reveal that the incorporation of Sn facilitates O2 adsorption and dissociation, which is beneficial to overcome the kinetic limitation of ORR. Moreover, the durability of PtCoSn/Ta-SnO2 examined by potential-step cycling between 0.6 and 1.0 V at 80 °C has been found to be much higher as compared with c-Pt/C and c-Pt3Co/C.

Planar GeSn lateral p-i-n resonant-cavity-enhanced photodetectors for short-wave infrared integrated photonics.

We report normal-incidence planar GeSn resonant-cavity-enhanced photodetectors (RCE-PDs) with a lateral p-i-n homojunction configuration on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform for short-wave infrared (SWIR) integrated photonics. The buried oxide of the SOI platform and the deposited SiO2 layer serve as the bottom and top reflectors, respectively, creating a vertical cavity for enhancing the optical responsivity. The planar p-i-n diode structure is favorable for complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor-compatible, large-scale integration. With the bandgap reduction enabled by the 4.2% Sn incorporation into the GeSn active layer, the photodetection range extends to 1960 nm. The promising results demonstrate that the developed planar GeSn RCE-PDs are potential candidates for SWIR integrated photonics.

Lifting the Optical and Thermoelectric Properties of Mg2Si as a Function of Sn Incorporation—Potential Thermoelectric Materials

By means of Density Functional Theory (DFT) study, we have performed the structural, electronic, optical and thermoelectric properties calculations of tin doped Mg2Si (Mg2Si1−xSnx, x = 0, 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 0.875, 1) using Full Potential Linearized Augmented Plane Wave (FP-LAPW) Method. The DFT study yields satisfactory results for electronic and thermoelectric properties of Sn doped Mg2Si compared with experimental values. With semiclassical Boltzmann transport theory, the transport properties of Mg2Si and Sn doped Mg2Si alloys has been investigated systematically. According to the calculated band structure, density of states and electron density, the parent Mg2Si/Sn materials having indirect energy gap (Γ−x) with ionic bonding; Sn doped ternary combinations Mg2Si1−xSnx, x = 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 0.875 having direct band gap (Γ−Γ) with a mixed covalent and ionic bonding nature. Band gap decreases linearly with the increase of Sn-concentration in each alloy system except for Mg2Si0.75Sn0.25 combination. The optical properties calculations have been performed for the energy range between 0–13.5 eV. The thermoelectric properties have been calculated for the temperature range 100 K to 800 K. Out of the five studied materials, Mg2Si0.75Sn0.25 found to be a better thermoelectric material with increased Power factor, Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity and corresponding thermal conductivity at high temperature range.

Cationic substitutions in sphalerite from the Porgera mine, Papua New Guinea

ABSTRACT Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry was used to traverse hydrothermal vein sphalerite from different ore-forming stages of the Porgera Au-Ag mine, Papua New Guinea. Elements were measured in situ over the growth of crystals to investigate the greatly varying concentrations of cations in sphalerite and their positions in the lattice. Traverse profiles for 16 elements were obtained and aligned to transmitted light images where possible. Each sample contained an array of elements, with many displaying orders of magnitude concentration differences. Results show the simultaneous incorporation of Cu and Sn in sphalerite, as well as Cu and Ag, In and Sn, As and Sb, Fe and Mn, and Cu and Ga. The relation [4Zn2+ ↔ 2Cu+ + Sn2+ + Sn4+] is proposed to explain the 1:1 Cu–Sn correlation. Further relations can be seen, including a Ga “ceiling” or Cu “floor”, where Ga incorporation becomes dependent on Cu concentrations. Furthermore, silver was also observed to correlate with Au, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Bi. Meta-stable solid solutions between pairs such as Cu, Ag; Fe, Mn; As, Sb; and In, Sn are also suggested. Each of these pairs are neighbors on the periodic table of elements, which suggests that simple solid solution can occur, and positive correlations for all four solid solutions were found in one sample alone. While the concept of charge-specific solid solutions in sphalerite has been discussed in the literature with reference to monovalent cations, the results presented herein also indicate solid solutions of higher oxidation states, containing many cations. Furthermore, while cations in charge-specific solid solutions have been proposed to compete for lattice sites in sphalerite, simultaneous in situ coupled concentrations at Porgera suggest otherwise. Cationic substitution equations displaying decimal ratios of each element in solid solution can then provide a novel method to distinguish between solid solution concentrations in different samples. For example, displaying 1:1 ratios of Cu–Ag and Sb–As: [2Zn2+ ↔ (Cu+0.5, Ag+0.5) + (As3+0.5, Sb3+0.5)], or for a 100:1 Fe–Mn ratio: [Zn2+ ↔ (Fe2+0.99, Mn2+0.01)].

Highly Dispersed Sn-beta Zeolites as Active Catalysts for Baeyer–Villiger Oxidation: The Role of Mobile, In Situ Sn(II)O Species in Solid-State Stannation

Solid-state incorporation of Sn into beta (β) zeolites is a fast and efficient method to obtain Lewis acidic Snβ catalysts with high activity. The present work emphasizes the fundamental role of th...

Influence of the Sn incorporation method in ZSM-11 zeolites in the distribution of bio-oil products obtained from biomass pyrolysis

Considering the importance of biowaste valorization, peanut shell pyrolysis was studied. Products yields and composition were evaluated. Results were improved by heterogeneous catalysis of the fluid products. For this purpose, tin modified ZSM-11 zeolites were synthesized and thoroughly characterized. The materials were prepared by means of wet impregnation or alkaline treatment of the parent matrix and by hydrothermal synthesis with tin as heteroatom. Those porous crystalline solids were further evaluated in the thermo-catalytic pyrolysis of the lignocellulosic biowaste. The bio-oil composition was significantly affected by the selected catalysts. The obtained results were correlated with physicochemical characterization data. It was found that Sn incorporation by the wet impregnation method promotes Lewis and total acidity. This material gave the highest hydrocarbon and the lowest oxygenated selectivities in the bio-oil of the studied situations. Particularly, aromatic compounds were favored over it. In terms of poisoning, coke formation over the catalysts was low and easily removed by calcination.

Active Brazing of Alumina and Copper with Multicomponent Ag-Cu-Sn-Zr-Ti Filler

The study was designed to investigate the synergic effect of Ti and Sn in the active metal brazing of Al2O3 ceramic to copper brazed, using the multicomponent Ag-Cu-Zr filler alloy. Numerous fine and hexagonal-shaped rod-like ternary intermetallic (Zr, Ti)5Sn3 phase (L/D = 5.1 ± 0.8, measured in microns) were found dispersed in the Ag-Cu matrix of Ag-18Cu-6Sn-3Zr-1Ti alloy, along with the ternary CuZrSn intermetallic phases. An approximate 15° reduction in contact angle and 3.1 °C reduction in melting point are observed upon the incorporation of Ti and Sn in Ag-18Cu-3Zr filler. Interestingly, the interface microstructure of Al2O3/Cu joints brazed by using Ag-18Cu-6Sn-3Zr-1Ti filler shows a double reaction layer: a discontinuous Ti-rich layer consisting of (Cu, Al)3(Ti, Zr)3O, TiO, and in-situ Cu-(Ti, Zr) precipitates on the Al2O3 side and continuous Zr-rich layer consisting of ZrO2 on the filler side. The shear strength achieved in Al2O3/Cu joints brazed with Ag-18Cu-6Sn-3Zr-1Ti filler is 31% higher, compared to the joints brazed with Ag-18Cu-6Sn-3Zr filler. Failure analysis reveals a composite fracture mode indicating a strong interface bonding in Al2O3/Ag-18Cu-6Sn-3Zr-1Ti filler/Cu joints. The findings will be helpful towards the development of high entropy brazing fillers in the future.

Achievable Performance of Uncooled Homojunction GeSn Mid-Infrared Photodetectors

Ge <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">1-x</sub> Sn <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">x</sub> photodetectors (PDs) have emerged as a new type of mid-infrared (MIR) CMOS-compatible PDs for a wide range of applications. Here we present a comprehensive theoretical study to evaluate the achievable performance of Ge <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">1-x</sub> Sn <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">x</sub> p-i-n homojunction PDs with strain-free and defect-free Ge <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">1-x</sub> Sn <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">x</sub> active layer for the purpose of demonstrating its potential in advancing the MIR detection technology. Starting from the Sn-composition-dependent band structures, the theoretical model calculates optical absorption, responsivity, dark current density, and detectivity. The results show that the optical responsivity can be enhanced with the Sn incorporation due to the improved optical absorption and the large mobilities and diffusion lengths of the photo-generated electrons and holes. The dark current density, however, increases with the increasing Sn composition. Our model suggests that not only the photodetection range of the Ge <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">1-x</sub> Sn <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">x</sub> PDs can be extended to the MIR region but their detectivity at room temperature can be competitive with the existing MIR technology, and in some cases better than some commercial PDs operating at lower temperatures. This study establishes the ultimate performance that can be potentially achieved with the Ge <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">1-x</sub> Sn <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">x</sub> MIR technology with the maturity of its material development in due time in addition to its much anticipated CMOS-compatible advantages.

Binary and Ternary Colloidal Cu-Sn-Te Nanocrystals for Thermoelectric Thin Films.

Recent advances in copper chalcogenide-based nanocrystals (NCs), copper sulfide, and copper selenide derived nanostructures, have drawn considerable attention. However, reports of crystal phase and shape engineering of binary or ternary copper telluride NCs remain rare. Here, a colloidal hot-injection approach for producing binary copper/tin telluride, and ternary copper tin telluride NCs with controllable compositions, crystal structures, and morphologies is reported. The crystal phase and growth behavior of these tellurides are systematically studied from both experimental and theoretical perspectives. The morphology of Cu1.29 Te NCs is modified from 1D nanorods with different aspect ratios to 2Dnanosheets and 3D nanocubes, by controlling the preferential growth of specific crystalline facets. A controllable phase transition from Cu1.29 Te to Cu1.43 Te NCs is also demonstrated. The latter can be further converted into Cu2 SnTe3 and SnTe through Sn incorporation. Temperature dependent thermoelectric properties of metal (Cu and Sn) telluride nanostructure thin films are also studied, including Cu1.29 Te, Cu1.43 Te, Cu2 SnTe3 , and SnTe. Cu2 SnTe3 is a low carrier density semimetal with compensating electron and hole Fermi surface pockets. The engineering of crystal phase and morphology control of colloidal copper tin telluride NCs opens a path to explore and design new classes of copper telluride-based nanomaterials for thermoelectrics and other applications.

Comparative incorporation of Sn and In in Mg(Al)O for the enhanced stability of Pt/MgAl(X)O catalysts in propane dehydrogenation

The catalytic performances of Sn- and In-incorporated Mg(Al)O supported Pt catalysts with various Sn and In loadings in the range of 0.2–3.3 wt.% were comparatively investigated in propane dehydrogenation at 550 °C. Compared to Sn-incorporated ones, the introduction of In on the Pt/MgAl(In)O catalysts exhibited superior catalyst stability and propylene yield. As confirmed by the XPS and XANES results, the intimate contact between Pt atoms and well-dispersed InOx species resulted in a more promotional electronic effect on Pt particles. On the other hand, the electron transfer effect of Sn to Pt appeared to be limited due to significant phase segregation of SnO2 observed on the catalyst surface of the Pt/MgAl(Sn)O catalysts. The predominant electronic modification of Pt particles on the Pt/MgAl(In)O catalysts had an essential impact on the inhibition of coke formation and contribution to a better tolerance against catalyst deactivation.

Dominance of c-axis orientation on the carrier transport properties of Sn doped ZnO thin films

Sol-gel derived pure and Tin (Sn) doped ZnO thin films were deposited on the glass substrate by cost-effective spin-coating method. The influence of Sn incorporation on the structural, morphological, optical, and electrical properties of ZnO films was investigated by varying Sn concentration. X-ray diffraction reveals the hexagonal crystal structure with a preferential orientation of the crystallites along c-axis in ZnO film after doping with Sn. The transparency of ZnO thin film in the visible region is increased significantly from 72% to 93% after Sn incorporation into the ZnO matrix. The grain size of the film decreased from 27 nm to 20 nm after doping with Sn. The widening of optical band gap from 3.23 to 3.29 eV i.e., a blue shift of absorption edge with Sn doping is attributed to a combination of the Burstein-Moss effect and electron-impurity scattering. Urbach energy values have shown that Sn dopant decreases the width of the band tail of localized states. The electrical properties of the films revealed the decrement of the conductivity in the doped film. The decrement in the conductivity upon Sn doping is explained considering the grain-boundary conduction model and piezoelectric scattering mechanism. The Figure of Merit was calculated to assess the efficiency of the prepared film and was found that the film Sn: ZnO (3 at.%) shows the highest value. The obtained results confirm that Sn dopant has considerable effects on the properties of ZnO thin films and can be used as promising transparent conducting oxide films for optoelectronic applications.

Synthesis and characterization of immobilized titanium-zirconium Sn-doped oxides onto metallic meshes and their photocatalytic activity for erythromycin mineralization

An improvement of the photocatalytic properties of TiO2, by the doping with Sn, a non-critical raw material, was evaluated. A series of Sn-doped titania-zirconia structured photocatalysts were synthesized using the washcoating method on stainless steel meshes. Two methodologies for the Sn incorporation were applied using different Sn sources: oxalate and SnO2 (powder or nanoparticles). Coating properties were characterized by SEM-EDS, XPS and LRS techniques, and their photocatalytic performances were tested for erythromycin (ERY) oxidation. The coating synthesized with the Sn-oxalate suspension presented a more homogeneous distribution of the elements. Surface characterization showed that the Sn-doped catalysts presented a partial reduction of the Ti4+ species to Ti3+ with the presence of some oxygen vacancies, associated to an effective interaction between Ti and Sn (surface Ti1-xSnxO2-like structure). The lowest amount of these vacancies were found when the Sn source was SnO2 (powder or nanoparticles). The formation of a Ti-Sn-O solid solution decreased the recombination of the e-cb/h+vb pair, allowing better performance on the photocatalytic degradation of ERY, with 46% mineralization for the Sn doped photocatalyst and 26% for the Sn-free catalyst. The Sn addition methodology influenced the catalytic activity due to the formation of different oxidizing agents, leading to different carboxylic acids generation. The best photocatalyst presented after more than 400 h of use, a catalytic activity decreases of only 11.3% in mineralization, showing that this photocatalyst has a high catalytic stability. Besides, after a regeneration process, the catalytic activity was almost thoroughly recovered.

Stamping Flexible Li Alloy Anodes.

Li metal holds great promise to be the ultimate anode choice owing to its high specific capacity and low redox potential. However, processing Li metal into thin-film anode with high electrochemical performance and good safety to match commercial cathodes remains challenging. Herein, a new method is reported to prepare ultrathin, flexible, and high-performance Li-Sn alloy anodes with various shapes on a number of substrates by directly stamping a molten metal solution. The printed anode is as thin as 15µm, corresponding to an areal capacity of ≈3 mAh cm-2 that matches most commercial cathode materials. The incorporation of Sn provides the nucleation center for Li, thereby mitigating Li dendrites as well as decreasing the overpotential during Li stripping/plating (e.g., <10mV at 0.25mA cm-2 ). As a proof-of-concept, a flexible Li-ion battery using the ultrathin Li-Sn alloy anode and a commercial NMC cathode demonstrates good electrochemical performance and reliable cell operation even after repetitive deformation. The approach can be extended to other metal/alloy anodes such as Na, K, and Mg. This study opens a new door toward the future development of high-performance ultrathin alloy-based anodes for next-generation batteries.