Synthesis of Hollow SnO2/SnS2 Hybrids and their Application in Sodium-Ion Batteries

Graphical Stress relief : A facile two-step hydrothermal route is introduced to prepare hollow SnO 2 /SnS 2 hybrids. Subsequently, their electrochemical performances as anodes in Na-ion batteries are investigated. The as-prepared hollow SnO 2 /SnS 2 hybrids are composed of ultrafine SnS 2 nanosheets, which directly grow on the pre-grown hollow SnO 2 hollow spheres. In the structure, both the SnO 2 hollow structures and surrounding SnS 2 nanosheets are able to alleviate internal stress during sodiation/desodiation. Alloying-type Sn material has been considered as an excellent anode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). However, the limitation of capacity is still a challenge that remains to be solved. In this approach, we introduce a facile two-step hydrothermal route to prepare hollow SnO 2 /SnS 2 hybrids and investigate their electrochemical performances as anodes in SIBs for the first time. Benefiting from their structural features, the hollow SnO 2 /SnS 2 hybrids exhibit a high reversible sodium storage capacity of about 485.64 mA h g −1 at 300 mA g −1 after 100 cycles with a capacity retention of 78.7 %, which is much higher than 25.9 % for bare SnO 2 hollow spheres and 28.5 % for bare SnS 2 nanosheets. Taking into consideration the outstanding performance and the special structural design, this work could provide a potential strategy to improve the electrochemical performances of tin-based electrodes, as well as that of other anodes in SIBs.