Processing and characterization of di- zinc stannate (Zn2SnO4) as potential anode for li-ion batteries

The demand for lithium ion batteries with higher capacities has seen the rise of tin based anodes from the conventional graphite anodes. By exploring the use of tin based anodes, we are able to reach a higher capacity for the batteries along with other benefits such as increased charging efficiency. This project aims to investigate the synthesis of a pure phase Zn2SnO4 (ZTO), through the method of homogenous coprecipitation, and its feasibility in the use in lithium ion batteries will be investigated. Furthermore, the phase purity on Zn2SnO4 will be studied when calcined at different temperatures. The final optimized product is a single phase Zn2SnO4, which was characterized by SEM, its crystalline phase by XRD and electrochemical behavior was done by galvanostatic testing. Results have shown good capacity over what that is calculated theoretically, however the cells suffer from premature capacity falloff that affected overall performance.Bachelor of Engineering (Materials Engineering