SnO 2 /graphene nanocomposites have been fabricated by a simple chemical method. In the fabrication process, the control of surface charge causes echinoid-like SnO 2 nanoparticles to be formed and uniformly decorated on the graphene. The electrostatic attraction between a graphene nanosheet (GNS) and the echinoid-like SnO 2 particles under controlled pH creates a unique nanostructure in which extremely small SnO 2 particles are uniformly dispersed on the GNS. The SnO 2 /graphene nanocomposite has been shown to perform as a high capacity anode with good cycling behavior in lithium rechargeable batteries. The anode retained a reversible capacity of 634 mA·h·g -1 with a coulombic efficiency of 98% after 50 cycles. The high reversibility can be attributed to the mechanical buffering by the GNS against the large volume change of SnO 2 during delithiation/lithiation reactions. Furthermore, the power capability is significantly enhanced due to the nanostructure, which enables facile electron transport through the GNS and fast delithiation/lithiation reactions within the echinoid-like nanoSnO 2 . The route suggested here for the fabrication of SnO 2 /graphene hybrid materials is a simple economical route for the preparation of other graphene-based hybrid materials which can be employed in many different fields.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.