Fabrication of one-dimensional SnO2/MoO3/C nanostructure assembled of stacking SnO2 nanosheets from its heterostructure precursor and its application in lithium-ion batteries

Carbon-coated one-dimensional (1-D) SnO2/MoO3 nanostructure (SnO2/MoO3/C) composed of densely stacked SnO2 nanosheets, uniformly distributing in amorphous MoO3 matrix, is obtained from the 1-D SnO2/MoO3 heterostructure, which is prepared for the first time by a facile, one-pot hydrothermal method. The precursor 1-D SnO2/MoO3 heterostructure is composed of SnO2 nanosheets, adhering to the two edges of 1-D MoO3 nanobelt by lattice matching between the (140) plane of orthorhombic MoO3 and (110) plane of rutile SnO2. By prolonging the hydrothermal reaction time, the as-obtained 1-D SnO2/MoO3 heterostructure is converted to a novel 1-D nanostructure, amorphous MoO3 that deposits uniformly on the surface of the SnO2 nanosheets with the preservation of the front SnO2 1-D architecture. For optimizing performance, 1-D SnO2/MoO3/C nanostructure is obtained by carbon coating on the surface of the novel 1-D nanostructure MoO3/SnO2via the pyrolysis of acetylene. Because of the 1-D nanostructure composed of nanosheets and the carbon matrix, the SnO2/MoO3/C nanocomposites exhibit an outstanding high-rate cycling performance, delivering a reversible discharge capacity of more than 560 mA h g−1 after 120 cycles at a high current density of 200 mA g−1.