Porous N-doped carbon nanoflakes supported hybridized SnO₂/Co₃O₄ nanocomposites as high-performance anode for lithium-ion batteries

Alloy-/conversion-type metal oxides usually exhibit high theoretical lithium storage capacities but suffer from the large volume change induced electrode pulverization and the poor electric conductivity, which limit their practical applications. Hybrid/mixed metal oxides with different working mechanisms/potentials can display advantageous synergistic enhancement effect if delicate structure engineering is performed. Herein, atomically hybridized SnO₂/Co₃O₄ nanocomposites with amorphous nature are successfully cast onto the porous N-doped carbon (denoted as NC) nanoflakes through facile pyrolysis of the tin (II) 2-ethylhexanoate (C₁₆H₃₀O₄Sn) and cobalt (II) 2-ethylhexanoate (C₁₆H₃₀O₄Co) mixture within NC nanoflakes in air at 300 °C for 1 h. The Sn/Co atomic ratio and the loading amount of SnO₂/Co₃O₄ can be readily controlled, whose effect on lithium storage are investigated as anodes for lithium ion batteries (LIBs). Notably, SnO₂/Co₃O₄@NC (R_Sn/Co = 1.25) nanoflakes exhibit the most excellent lithium storage properties, delivering a reversible capacity of 1450.3 mA h g⁻¹ after 300 cycles at 200 mA g⁻¹, which is much higher than that of the single metal oxide SnO₂@NC and Co₃O₄@NC electrodes.