Sn-SnO2 hybrid nanoclusters embedded in carbon nanotubes with enhanced electrochemical performance for advanced lithium ion batteries

Abstract Sn-based materials are one promising high-capacity anode material for lithium-ion batteries. The practical application of Sn-based materials is generally restricted by their significant capacity fading due to the volume expansion and structural changes during Sn alloying/dealloying process. In this work, Sn-SnO2 hybrid nanoclusters are embedded into carbon nanotube network, forming a Sn-SnO2@CNT composite. The Sn-SnO2 nanoclusters are consisted of interconnected Sn and SnO2 nanocrystals, in which SnO2 forms a beneficial environment for the alloying/dealloying of Sn. The ultrafine particle size of SnO2 (