Ultrafine Sn nanocrystals in a hierarchically porous N-doped carbon for lithium ion batteries

We report a simple method of preparing a high performance, Sn-based anode material for lithium ion batteries (LIBs). Adding H 2 O 2 to an aqueous solution containing Sn 2+ and aniline results in simultaneous polymerization of aniline and oxidation of Sn 2+ to SnO 2 , leading to a homogeneous composite of polyaniline and SnO 2 . Hydrogen thermal reduction of the above composite yields N-doped carbon with hierarchical porosity and homogeneously distributed, ultrafine Sn particles. The nanocomposite exhibits excellent performance as an anode material for lithium ion batteries, showing a high reversible specific capacity of 788 mAh·g −1 at a current density of 100 mA·g −1 after 300 cycles and very good stability up to 5,000 mA·g −1 . The simple preparation method combined with the good electrochemical performance is highly promising to promote the application of Sn based anode materials.