Rapidly microwave-synthesized SnO2 nanorods anchored on onion-Like carbons (OLCs) as anode material for lithium-ion batteries

Abstract

Nanostructured SnO2/onion-like carbon (OLC) composites were fabricated via a facile and rapid microwave-assisted synthesis technique. The influence of SnO2 nanorods anchored on OLC was investigated as an anode material for the first time in lithium-ion battery applications. The OLC successfully served as a barrier layer between SnO2 nanorods and electrolyte to avoid the rupturing of the unstable SEI layer in order to provide improved coulombic efficiency, ionic resistance, and electronic conductivity. The SnO2 nanorod-OLC nanocomposite exhibits much stable and better electrochemical performance than pure SnO2 nanorods. The SnO2-OLC composite exhibited a remarkably high specific capacity of 884 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles with long-term cycling stability and excellent capacity retention of 93.5% (at current density of 100 mA g−1) with only 0.23% fading per cycle. The outstanding performance is attributed to the high surface area of OLC which can enhance electron transportation and high lithium-ion diffusion during cycling.