Reversible formation of coordination bonds in Sn-based metal-organic frameworks for high-performance lithium storage

Sn-based compounds with buffer matrixes possessing high theoretical capacity, low working voltage, and alleviation of the volume expansion of Sn are ideal materials for lithium storage. However, it is challenging to confine well-dispersed Sn within a lithium active matrix because low-melting-point Sn tends to agglomerate. Here, we apply a metal-organic framework (MOF) chemistry between Sn-nodes and lithium active ligands to create two Sn-based MOFs comprising Sn-2(dobdc) and Sn-2(dobpdc) with extended ligands from H(4)dobdc (2,5-dioxido-1,4-benzenedicarboxylate acid) to H(4)dobpdc (4,4'-dioxidobiphenyl-3,3'-dicarboxylate acid) with molecule-level homodispersion of Sn in organic matrixes for lithium storage. The enhanced utilization of active sites and reaction kinetics are achieved by the isoreticular expansion of the organic linkers. The reversible formation of coordination bonds during lithium storage processes is revealed by X-ray absorption fine structure characterization, providing an in-depth understanding of the lithium storage mechanism in coordination compounds. Tin-based alloying materials have been widely developed for lithium storage, but are limited by large volume variation. Herein, the authors created a new strategy of applying coordination chemistry to construct tin-based metal-organic frameworks which exhibited high-performance lithium storage property.