SBA-15 derived carbon-supported SnO₂ nanowire arrays with improved lithium storage capabilities

In this work, we report a facile strategy for the synthesis of carbon-supported SnO₂ nanowire arrays using SBA-15 nanorods as template. In the first step, molten SnCl₂·2H₂O is efficiently infiltrated into the channels of SBA-15 nanorods. After calcination and further removal of the silica template, SnO₂ nanowire arrays are obtained with a high yield. Then amorphous carbon is deposited onto the interstitial space of these SnO₂ nanowire arrays by a facile hydrothermal method followed by subsequent calcination under an inert atmosphere. When the resultant carbon-supported SnO₂ nanowire arrays are evaluated as potential anode materials for lithium-ion-batteries (LIBs), they exhibit relatively high capacities with excellent capacity retention.