Formation of Uniform N‐doped Carbon‐Coated SnO₂ Submicroboxes with Enhanced Lithium Storage Properties

Abstract

Rational design and preparation of SnO 2 ‐based materials with superior electrochemical performance for lithium‐ion batteries are highly desirable. In this work, the synthesis of SnO 2 /nitrogen‐doped carbon (SnO 2 /NC) submicroboxes with excellent lithium storage properties is reported. The as‐synthesized SnO 2 /NC submicroboxes are highly porous with a high specific surface area of 125 m 2 g −1 , well‐defined hollow structure (around 400 nm in size) with a shell thickness of 40 nm, and ultrasmall SnO 2 nanoparticles uniformly coated with nitrogen‐doped carbon layer. As a result, the SnO 2 /NC submicroboxes show outstanding electrochemical performance as an anode material for lithium‐ion batteries. A high reversible capacity of 491 mAh g −1 can be retained after 100 cycles at a current density of 0.5 A g −1 .