Influence of solvent on the structure and electrochemical performances of Sn-based anode for lithium-ion battery

In present work, Sn-based composites have been successfully synthesized by the solvothermal method. The composition and content of the solvent have crucial influences on the phase composition, crystallinity and morphology of the samples. It is found that the nanoflakes assembling to the spherical SnS 2 /SnO 2 obtained in deionized water (DI w) gradually convert to nanoparticles in anhydrous ethanol (AE) solvent. The hierarchical SnS 2 /SnO 2 composites obtained in AE solvent exhibit excellent electrochemical performances. The initial discharge capacity of the anode can reach to 1420.06   mA   h   g −1 at 100   mA   g −1 for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), and the capacity can maintain 588.15   mA   h   g −1 after 50 cycles. Compared with other Sn-based anode materials , the SnS 2 /SnO 2 sample obtained in the AE solvent can still retain a stable discharge capacity of 559.16   mA   h   g −1 even at 800   mA   g −1 . The results obtained in the work reveal the influence of the solvent on the morphology of Sn-based samples and the potential of the sphere-like SnS 2 /SnO 2 structure as LIBs anode.