Electrochemical reconstruction: a new perspective on Sn metal–organic complex microbelts as robust anode for lithium storage

Abstract Tin‐based materials with high theoretical capacity and suitable working voltage are ideal anode materials for lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs). However, to overcome their shortcomings (volume expansion and inferior stability), the preparation processes are usually complicated and expensive. Herein, a tin‐based metal–organic complex (tin 1,2‐benzenedicarboxylic acid, Sn‐BDC) with one‐dimensional microbelt morphology is synthesized by a facile, rapid and low‐cost co‐precipitation method, and served as anode material for LIBs without any post‐treatment. Sn‐BDC exhibits a high reversible capacity with 609/440 mAh·g −1 at 50/2000 mA·g −1 , and robust cycling stability of 856 mAh·g −1 after 200 cycles at 200 mA·g −1 , which are obviously superior to that of the SnO x /C counterparts. Moreover, an electrochemical reconstruction perspective on the lithium storage mechanism of Sn‐BDC is proposed by systematic ex‐situ characterizations. The reconstructed SnO 2 replaces Sn‐BDC and becomes the active material in the subsequent cycles. As the by‐product of the lithiation reaction, the formed Li‐based metal–organic complex (Li‐BDC, wrapped around the reconstructed SnO 2 ) plays an important role in alleviating volume expansion and accelerating the charge transfer kinetics. This work is beneficial to design and construct the new electrode materials based on the electrochemical reconstruction for advanced LIBs.