title: A hierarchical tin/carbon composite as an anode for lithium-ion batteries with a long cycle life.
abstract: Tin is a promising anode candidate for next-generation lithium-ion batteries with a high energy density, but suffers from the huge volume change (ca. 260 %) upon lithiation. To address this issue, here we report a new hierarchical tin/carbon composite in which some of the nanosized Sn particles are anchored on the tips of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) that are rooted on the exterior surfaces of micro-sized hollow carbon cubes while other Sn nanoparticles are encapsulated in hollow carbon cubes. Such a hierarchical structure possesses a robust framework with rich voids, which allows Sn to alleviate its mechanical strain without forming cracks and pulverization upon lithiation/de-lithiation. As a result, the Sn/C composite exhibits an excellent cyclic performance, namely, retaining a capacity of 537 mAh g(-1) for around 1000 cycles without obvious decay at a high current density of 3000 mA g(-1) .
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 3200 North Cramer Street, Milwaukee, WI 53211 (USA).
authors.forename: Xingkang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Shumao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Jingbo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Peter B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Hallac
authors.forename: Christopher R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Fell
authors.forename: Yanting
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Metz
authors.forename: Junwei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Patrick T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Hurley
authors.forename: Junhong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
keywords: carbon nanotubes; electrochemistry; lithium-ion batteries; nanoparticles; tin anode