Facile preparation of Sn hollow nanospheres anodes for lithium-ion batteries by galvanic replacement

Sn hollow nanospheres (HNSs) were prepared by galvanic replacement, employing Ni nanospheres (NSs) as templates. The formation process and electrochemical performance of Sn HNS were studied. The Sn FINS resulted in better stability and electrochemical performance when used as an anode material in lithium-ion batteries. The Sn HNS electrode retained a good reversible capacity of 516.1 mAh g(-1) after 50 cycles at a current density of 100 mAh g(-1), which was much higher than that of Sn NS (128 mAh g(-1)). TEM images of the Sn HNSs after 50 cycles indicated that the volume expansion outside the spheres had been alleviated, and the aggregation between the active materials had been prevented. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.