Electrochemical Performance of SnO2/ Graphite Nanocomposites as Anode Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries

SnO2/ graphite nanocomposites with different SnO2 contents were successfully prepared by a co-precipitation method.The nanocomposites, used as the anode material for lithium-ion batteries( LIBs),were characterized by X-ray diffraction( XRD),thermogravimetric analysis( TGA), and transmission electron microscopy( TEM). The SnO2 particles had the average size of about 15 nm and their distribution on graphite matrix much depended on the contents of SnO2 in the nanocomposites. The galvanostatic charge-discharge cycles were used to investigate the effects of SnO2 contents on the electrochemical performance of these composites. The results show that the initial specific capacities increase with the SnO2 contents. However,the cyclic stabilities are determined by the distribution of SnO2 particles in composites. For55% by weight SnO2/ graphite composites, the initial specific capacity is 740 m Ah g- 1and 70% of the initial specific capacity( 518 m Ah·g- 1) can still be retained after 50 charge-discharge cycles.