Electrochemical and 119Sn Mossbauer study of sulfospinels as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

Sn-119 Mossbauer spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and electrochemical experiments were carried out to characterize the reaction mechanism of lithium with spinel phases of the Cu2S-In2S3-SnS2 system. This analysis reveals an irreversible part of the mechanism linked to the reduction of the cations involving a spinel to rocksalt transformation followed by a structural breakdown, and a reversible part linked to the formation of lithium-metal alloys. The electrochemical investigation has shown interesting reversible capacities for these materials, and their possible use as anode materials in lithium-ion cells. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.