Fabrication of SnO2 micron-rods embedding in 3D composite of graphene oxide@MWNTs as high-performance anode for lithium-ion batteries

Tin dioxide-based anode materials have attracted extensive attention in lithium-ion batteries due to their high specific capacity. However, the low intrinsic conductivity and volume expansion of commercial SnO2, as well as the aggregation due to snation result in electrodes that are highly susceptible to crush during the cycling process. Here, SnO2@GO@MWNTs complex consisting of rod-like SnO2 with micron-size uniformly embedded in the multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) and multilayer graphene oxide (GO) was constructed via a simple ultrasonic mixing method, and was employed as the anode materials of lithium-ion batteries. This composite electrode showed excellent cycling performance, exhibiting a high reversible capacity of 1242.6 mAh center dot g(-1) after 280 cycles (at 200 mA center dot g(-1)), and excellent rate performance at current densities of 1000 mA center dot g(-1) and 2000 mA center dot g(-1), with high specific capacity of 770.5 mAh center dot g(-1) and 640.1 mAh center dot g(-1), respectively. The excellent electrochemical performance was attributed to the fact that the framework structure formed by GO and MWNTs effectively mitigates the volume expansion of rod-shaped SnO2 while improving its electrical conductivity, and the micron-sized rods shape alleviates the aggregation of particles due to the partial tinisation of SnO2.

Automated summary

The researchers developed a SnO2@GO@MWNTs composite as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries, which successfully addressed the issues of low conductivity and volume expansion of commercial SnO2. The composite electrode exhibited excellent cycling performance and rate performance.