Synthesis of SnO2versus Sn crystals within N-doped porous carbon nanofibers via electrospinning towards high-performance lithium ion batteries. Issue 14 (17th March 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wang, Hongkang; Lu, Xuan; Li, Longchao; Li, Beibei; Cao, Daxian; Wu, Qizhen; Li, Zhihui; Yang, Guang; Guo, Baolin; Niu, Chunming
• Is Part Of: Nanoscale. Volume 8:Issue 14(2016)
• Page Start: 7595
• Page End: 7603
• Publication Date: 2016-03-17
• Subjects: Nanoscience -- Periodicals; Nanotechnology -- Periodicals; 620.505
• DOI: 10.1039/c5nr09305h
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2040-3364

Abstract

Abstract : SnO2 or Sn crystals coupled with N-doped porous carbon nanofibers are fabricated via electrospinning with structure dependent high-performance electrochemical behaviors. Abstract : The design of tin-based anode materials (SnO2 or Sn) has become a major concern for lithium ion batteries (LIBs) owing to their different inherent characteristics. Herein, particulate SnO2 or Sn crystals coupled with porous N-doped carbon nanofibers (denoted as SnO2 /PCNFs and Sn/PCNFs, respectively) are fabricated via the electrospinning method. The electrochemical behaviors of both SnO2 /PCNFs and Sn/PCNFs are systematically investigated as anodes for LIBs. When coupled with porous carbon nanofibers, both SnO2 nanoparticles and Sn micro/nanoparticles display superior cycling and rate performances. SnO2 /PCNFs and Sn/PCNFs deliver discharge capacities of 998 and 710 mA h g −1 after 140 cycles (at 100, 200, 500 and 1000 mA g −1 each for 10 cycles and then 100 cycles at 100 mA g −1 ), respectively. However, the Sn/PCNF electrodes show better cycling stability at higher current densities, delivering higher discharge capacities of 700 and 550 mA h g −1 than that of SnO2 /PCNFs (685 and 424 mA h g −1 ) after 160 cycles at 200 and 500 mA g −1, respectively. The different superior electrochemical performance is attributed to the introduction of porous N-doped carbon nanofibers and their self-constructed networks, which, on the one hand, greatly decrease the charge-transfer resistance due to the high conductivity of N-doped carbon fibers; on the other hand, the porous carbon nanofibers with numerous voids and flexible one-dimensional (1D) structures efficiently alleviate the volume changes of SnO2 and Sn during the Li–Sn alloying–dealloying processes. Moreover, the discussion of the electrochemical behaviors of SnO2 vs. Sn would provide new insights into the design of tin-based anode materials for practical applications, and the current strategy demonstrates great potential in the rational design of metallic tin-based anode materials.