Nitrogen-doped carbon-encapsulated SnO2-SnS/graphene sheets with improved anodic performance in lithium ion batteries

A dual-doping approach for nitrogen-doped carbon-coated SnO2-SnS/graphene nanosheets (NC@SnO2-SnS/GN) has been developed, using hydrothermal carbonization of sucrose with SnO2-decorated graphene and ammonium thiocyanate and a subsequent thermal treatment. The resulting hybrid manifests a typical two-dimensional core-shell architecture, with a N-doped carbon coating over the SnS- and SnO2-decorated graphene nanosheets. Used as the anode material in lithium ion batteries (LIBs), N-C@SnO2-SnS/GN delivers a high specific capacity of 1236 mA h g(-1) at a current density of 0.1 A g(-1) after 110 cycles, which outperforms most state-of-the-art tin-based LIB anodes with core-shell structures.