SnO2/ZnO composite structure for the lithium-ion battery electrode

In this article, SnO2/ZnO composite structures have been synthesized by two steps hydrothermal method and investigated their lithium storage capacity as compared with pure ZnO. It has been found that these composite structures combining the large specific surface area, stability and catalytic activity of SnO2 micro-crystals, demonstrate the higher initial discharge capacity of 1540 mA h g−1 with a Coulombic efficiency of 68% at a rate of 120 mA h g−1 between 0.02 and 2 V and found much better than that of any previously reported ZnO based composite anodes. In addition, a significantly enhanced cycling performance, i.e., a reversible capacity of 497 mA h g−1 is retained after 40 cycles. The improved lithium storage capacity and cycle life is attributed to the addition of SnO2 structure, which act as good electronic conductors and better accommodation of the large volume change during lithiation/delithiation process.