Synthesis and properties of Li2SnO3/polyaniline nanocomposites as negative electrode material for lithium-ion batteries

The nanocomposites Li2SnO3/polyaniline (Li2SnO3/PANI) have been synthesized by a micro emulsion polymerization method. The structure, morphology and electrochemical properties of the as-prepared materials are characterized by XRD, FTIR, Raman, XPS, TGA, TEM and electrochemical measurements. Results show that Li2SnO3/PANI nanocomposites are composed of uniform and blocky nano-sized particles (40-50 nm) with clear lattice fringes. Electrochemical measurement suggests that Li2SnO3/PANI exhibits better cycling properties and lower initial irreversible capacities than Li2SnO3 as negative electrodes materials for lithium-ion batteries. At a current density of 60 mA g(-1) in the voltage about 0.05-2.0 V, the initial irreversible capacity of Li2SnO3/PANI is 563 mAh g(-1) while it is 687.5 mAh g(-1) to Li2SnO3. The capacity retained of Li2SnO3/PANI (569.2 mAh g(-1)) is higher than that of Li2SnO3 (510.2 mAh g(-1)) after 50 cycles. The PANI in the Li2SnO3/PANI nanocomposites can buffer the released stress caused by the drastic volume variation during the alloying/de-alloying process of Li-Sn. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.