Ecofriendly Approach to Making Graphene-Tin/Tin Oxide Nanocomposite Electrodes for Energy Storage

A sustainable, nontoxic, and ecofriendly lithium-ion battery is the ultimate dream in the field of energy storage. First, the ecofriendly production of large quantities of electrode material is a great challenge. Herein, a green process for making tin-/tin oxide-based alloy electrodes by means of a simple solvent [N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF)]-assisted self-reduction method is proposed. The end products of this reduction process are identified as dimethylamine (DMA), carbon dioxide, and hydrochloric acid. Both the solvent (DMF) and reaction product (DMA) are biodegradable and the reaction byproducts (DMA and CO2) can be reconverted back into DMF. The simple mixing of two colloids in the same solvent (DMF) is adopted to incorporate tin nanoparticles into a graphene matrix; this helps to distribute nanoparticles on the graphene surfaces. The resulting nanocomposite displays an improved reversible capacity of 750 mAhg(-1) at a current rate of 160 mAg(-1), with stable cyclic retention and a discharge capacity of more than 600 mAhg(-1) at a high current rate of 700 mAg(-1) after 35 cycles. The effect of graphene on nanoparticle shape management during electrochemical cycling is studied by using transmission electron microscopy