Nanohybrid electrodes of porous hollow SnO₂ and graphene aerogel for lithium ion battery anodes

In this work, we present the nanohybrid electrode (termed as p-h-SnO₂/GA) of porous hollow SnO₂ (p-h-SnO₂) integrated on the surface of graphene aerogel (GA) for anodes with large lithium storage capacity. Selective etching of Ni from Ni₃Sn₂ nanoparticles produces the porous hollow nanostructure of SnO₂, which is important for providing the structural flexibility that can accommodate the volume change of SnO₂ during the lithiation and delithiation processes. GA also serves as a buffer for the volume change of SnO₂ and induces effective charge transports through its interconnected porous network structure. These combined advantages of p-h-SnO₂ and GA enable a reversible Li storage capacity as high as 620 mAh g⁻¹ with ∼100% Coulombic efficiency at a specific current of 50 mA g⁻¹ over 200 charge–discharge cycles and ∼71% of rate-retention capability over the specific currents of 100 mA g⁻¹–1 A g⁻¹. It makes this nanohybrid electrodes an attractive candidate for high-performance lithium ion battery anode.