Fabrication of a reversible SnS2/RGO nanocomposite for high performance lithium storage

SnS2/graphene (SnS2/G) composites have been explored extensively as a promising candidate for Lithium Ion Battery (LIB) anodes in recent years. Previously, the SnS2 conversion/reduction step of the reaction mechanism is generally believed to be irreversible or only partially reversible, which severely underestimates the theoretical capacity of SnS2. In this work, SnS2 nanoparticles have been successfully stacked on reduced graphene oxide (RGO) via a facile and effective solvothermal method using ethylene glycol as a chelant. The SnS2/graphene nanocomposite retained many of the original 2D characteristics of the graphene nanosheets. As a result, Li+ storage properties were significantly improved. The SnS2/RGO nanocomposites show a higher storage capacity of 939.0 mA h g(-1) after 30 cycles at a current density of 0.1 A g(-1), and a long-term cycle capacity of 615.5 mA h g(-1) even after 200 cycles at 1 A g(-1). The superior cycling stability of the SnS2/RGO electrode is attributed to greater reversibility in the initial conversion reaction, ascribed to the presence of the Sn nanoparticles.