Electrospun Ni-Added SnO2-Carbon Nanofiber Composite Anode for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries

The SnO2 anode is a promising anode for next-generation Li ion batteries because of its high theoretical capacity. However, it exhibits inherent capacity fading because of the large volume change and pulverization that occur during the charge/discharge cycles. The buffer matrix, such as electrospun carbon nanofibers (CNFs), can alleviate this problem to some extent, but SnO2 particles are thermodynamically incompatible with the carbon matrix such that large Sn agglomerates form after carbonization upon melting of the Sn. Herein, we introduce well-dispersed nanosized SnO2 attached to CNFs for high-performance anodes developed by Ni presence. The addition of Ni increases the stability of the SnO2 such that the morphologies of the dispersed SnO2 phase are modified as a function of the Ni composition. The optimal adding composition is determined to be Ni:Sn = 10:90 wt % in terms of the crystallite size and the distribution uniformity. A high capacity retention of 447.6 mA h g(-1) after 100 cycles can be obtained for 10 wt % Ni-added SnO2-CNEs, whereas Ni-free Sn/SnO2-CNEs have a capacity retention of 304.6 mA h g(-1).