Double core---shell nanostructured Sn---Cu alloy as enhanced anode materials for lithium and sodium storage

Abstract

Sn-based alloy materials are considered as a promising anode candidate for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), whereas they suffer from severe volume change during the discharge/charge process. To address the issue, double core–shell structured Sn–Cu@SnO₂@C nanocomposites have been prepared by a simple co-precipitation method combined with carbon coating approach. The double core–shell structure consists of Sn–Cu multiphase alloy nanoparticles as the inner core, intermediate SnO₂ layer anchored on the surface of Sn–Cu nanoparticle and outer carbon layer. The Sn–Cu@SnO₂@C electrode exhibits outstanding electrochemical performances, delivering a reversible capacity of 396 mA·h·g⁻¹ at 100 mA·g⁻¹ after 100 cycles for LIBs and a high initial reversible capacity of 463 mA·h·g⁻¹ at 50 mA·g⁻¹ and a capacity retention of 86% after 100 cycles, along with a remarkable rate capability (193 mA·h·g⁻¹ at 5000 mA·g⁻¹) for SIBs. This work provides a viable strategy to fabricate double core–shell structured Sn-based alloy anodes for high energy density LIBs and SIBs.

Keywords

lithium-ion battery / sodium-ion battery / Sn-based alloy / anode / double core–shell structure

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51661009 and 51761007) and also supported by the Guangxi Natural Science Foundation (2019GXNSFDA245014).

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2020 Higher Education Press