Synthesis of SnO2/Sn@carbon nanospheres dispersed in the interspaces of a three-dimensional SnO2/Sn@carbon nanowires network, and their application as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries

Abstract

In this work, a peculiar nanostructure of SnO₂/Sn@carbon nanospheres dispersed in the interspaces of a three-dimensional SnO₂/Sn@carbon nanowires network composite (denoted as SnO₂/Sn@C) has been successfully fabricated by a facile strategy and confirmed by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, laser Raman spectroscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method, energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy characterization, illustrating the combination of the nanospheres and the 3-dimensional nanowires network. This architecture effectively withstands the volume change and restricts the agglomeration of SnO₂/Sn during the cycling process. Moreover, the SnO₂/Sn distributed in carbon matrix and the SnO₂/Sn@carbon nanospheres dispersed in interspaces of three-dimensional SnO₂/Sn@carbon nanowires network facilitate electron and ion transport throughout the electrode. As a result, this composite exhibits excellent performance as a potential anode material for lithium ion batteries and delivers a reversible capacity of 678.6 mA h g⁻¹ at 800 mA g⁻¹, even after 500 cycles.