Formation of porous SnO2 microboxes via selective leaching for highly reversible lithium storage

Porous SnO2 microboxes with a high uniformity and well-defined non-spherical hollow structure are prepared via a selective leaching strategy using ZnSn(OH)6 microboxes as the starting material. The selective removal of Zn(II) species by an acid-washing process produces pure SnO2 microboxes with a porous shell. After further wrapping with an elastic carbon matrix, the resultant SnO2@C microboxes exhibit excellent electrochemical performance as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries.