Synthesis and characterization of macroporous tin oxide composite as an anode material for Li-ion batteries

A macroporous SnO2/C composite anode material was synthesized using an organic template-assisted method. Polystyrene spheres were synthesized and used as a template and lead to macroporous morphology with pores of 300-500 nm in diameter and a surface area of 54.7 m(squared)g(to the power of)-1. X-ray diffraction showed that the SnO2 nanoparticles are crystallized in a rutile P42/mnm lattice with the presence of Sn metal traces. The synthesized macroporous SnO2/C composite provided promising performance in lithium half cells showing a discharge capacity of 907 mAh g(to the power of)-1 after 55 cycles. It was found that the macroporous SnO2/C composite is stable and resistant to pulverization upon cycling.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye