Electrochemical properties of SnO2 nanorods as anode materials in lithium-ion battery

Well-dispersed SnO2 nanorods with diameter of 4–15 nm and length of 100–200 nm are synthesised through a hydrothermal route and their potential as anode materials in lithium-ion batteries is investigated. The observed initial discharge capacity is as high as 1778 mA·h/g, much higher than the theoretical value of the bulk SnO2 (1494 mA·h/g). During the following 15 cycles, the reversible capacity decreases from 929 to 576 mA·h/g with a fading rate of 3.5% per cycle. The fading mechanism is discussed. Serious capacity fading can be avoided by reducing the cycling voltages from 0.05–3.0 to 0.4–1.2 V. At the end, SnO2 nanorods with much smaller size are synthesized and their performance as anode materials is studied. The size effect on the electrochemical properties is briefly discussed. (cross-disciplinary physics and related areas of science and technology)