Controllable synthesis of 3D porous SnO₂/carbon towards enhanced lithium-ion batteries

In this report, the watermelon-like SnO₂ nanoparticles embedded in the three-dimensional (3D) porous carbon matrix are successfully fabricated through a simple one-pot strategy. In this nano-architecture, the carbon with sufficient void space is uniformly mixed with the SnO₂, while the adjacent SnO₂ particles are separated by carbon. The special 3D architecture can not only protect the SnO₂ particles from agglomeration but also improve the conductivity when compared with independent SnO₂. Moreover, the carbon matrix with numerous void space can efficiently buffer the volume change and separate SnO₂ nanoparticles, leading to excellent cyclic stability. When applied in lithium-ion battery (LIBs), the produced 3D porous SnO₂/C composite exhibited a high specific capacity of ~ 513 mAh/g with outstanding cyclic stability of 92.5% capacity retention after 250 cycles at the current density of 250 mA/g.