Hydrothermal Self-Assembly Synthesis of Porous SnO2/Graphene Nanocomposite as an Anode Material for Lithium Ion Batteries

A porous SnO2/graphene nanocomposite is synthesized by the self assembly in a simple one-pot hydrothermal process, which is demonstrated as a high performance anode material for lithium ion batteries. Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction indicate that this porous nanocomposite is composed of SnO2 nanoparticles with the size of 10 nm, which are uniformly dispersed on graphene nanosheets. The SnO2/graphene nanocomposite exhibits a reversible capacity of similar to 800 mAh g(-1) at the current density of 250 mA g(-1) and a good rate capacity, which are significantly higher than those of currently commercial graphite anodes. Moreover, the SnO2/graphene nanocomposite displays a superior cycling stability with capacity fade of only 8.8% from the 20th to the 100th cycles at the current density of 250 mA g(-1). The superior electrochemical performance of this nanocomposite is attributed to its highly conductive graphene network, the porous nanostructure, and the well-dispersed SnO2 nanoparticles.