Co–Sn nanocrystalline solid solutions as anode materials in lithium-ion batteries with high pseudocapacitive contribution

Abstract

Co–Sn solid-solution nanoparticles with Sn crystal structure and tuned metal ratios were synthesized by a facile one pot solution-based procedure involving the initial reduction of a Sn precursor followed by incorporation of Co within the Sn lattice. These nanoparticles were used as anode materials for Li-ion batteries. Among the different compositions tested, Co0.7Sn and Co0.9Sn electrodes provided the highest capacities with values above 1500 mAh¿g-1 at a current density of 0.2 A¿g-1 after 220 cycles, and up to 800 mAh¿g-1 at 1.0 A¿g-1 after 400 cycles. Up to 81¿% pseudocapacitance contribution was measured for these electrodes at a sweep rate of 1.0 mV¿s-1, thereby indicating fast kinetics and long durability. The excellent performance of Co–Sn nanoparticle alloy-based electrodes was attributed to both the small size of the crystal domains and their suitable composition, which buffered volume changes of Sn and contributed to a suitable electrode restructuration.