Study of Sn-coated graphite as anode material for secondary lithium-ion batteries

Tin-graphite composites have been developed as an alternate anode material for Li-ion batteries using an autocatalytic deposition technique. The specific discharge capacity, coulombic efficiency, rate capability behavior, and cycle life of Sn-C composites has been studied using a variety of electrochemical methods. The amount of tin loading and the heating temperature have a significant effect on the composite performance. The synthesis conditions and Sn loading on graphite have been optimized to obtain the maximum reversible capacity for the composite electrode. Heating the composite converts it from amorphous to crystalline form. Apart from higher capacity, Sn-graphite composites possesses higher coulombic efficiency, better rate capability, and longer cycle life than the bare synthetic graphite. Current studies are focused on reducing the first cycle irreversible capacity loss of this material. (C) 2002 The Electrochemical Society.