Ultrafine Sb2O3 Nanoparticle-Decorated Reduced Graphene Oxide as an Anode Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Antimony (Sb)-based materials have shown great potential as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) owing to their high energy density as well as long lifespan. However, the huge volume variation upon cycling will result in severe capacity fading, thus hindering the practical application of Sb-based anode materials. Herein, an ultrafine Sb2O3 nanoparticle-decorated reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composite (denoted as Sb2O3/rGO) was developed through a facile thermal decomposition of antimony 2-ethylhexanoate on rGO in the air at low temperatures, where the ultrafine Sb2O3 nanoparticles are homogeneously anchored on the rGO substrate. Benefiting from the rich mesoporous structure, large specific surface area, moderate mass loading, and uniform dispersion of ultrafine Sb2O3 nanoparticles, the optimized Sb2O3/rGO-100 electrode showed enhanced electrode–electrolyte contact area and ion/electron transferability. When applied as an anode material for LIBs, the Sb2O3/rGO-100 electrode exhibited excellent cycling stability and rate performance, delivering a high reversible capacity of 513 mAh g–1 at 0.5 A g–1 after 300 cycles. Ex situ transmission electron microscopy reveals that the nanoscale configuration of rGO and Sb2O3 nanoparticles of Sb2O3/rGO-100 was well maintained, while the bulk Sb2O3 crushed into pieces after cycling, further confirming the robust structure of the composite. More importantly, the synthetic method may also be commonly applied to other metal oxides, which is promising for the development of high-performance next-generation electrochemical energy storage devices.