Self-assembly design of novel tin/lignite-derived graphene-like porous carbon composite for lithium-ion battery

To provide a new preparation route for graphene-like material, as well as to supply a new way for the high value-added utilization of lignite, lignite-derived graphene-like porous carbon (LG) has been prepared with lignite as the precursor. Moreover, a novel Sn/LG composite has been rationally designed by a simple method. In Sn/LG, Sn is tightly dispersed on LG, which can not only inhibit the huge volume change of Sn but also improve the electron transfer of the electrode. Therefore, the composite delivers superior electrochemical performance. A reversible capacity of 803 mAh g-1 can be achieved after 200 charge/discharge cycles, which is much higher than that of Sn and LG. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results confirm that the composite electrode exhibits significantly lower transfer impedance than bare Sn electrode, and thus improving the lithium storage property efficiently. The superior electrochemical performance of the composite can be ascribed to the positive synergistic effect of LG and Sn.