Synthesis of Tin-Encapsulated Spherical Hollow Carbon for Anode Material in Lithium Secondary Batteries

Abstract

The tributylphenyltin (TBPT)-encapsulated resorcinol (R)-formaldehyde (F) sol was prepared inside the micelles of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). This core-shell-type sol was polymerized and further carbonized to obtain nanosized Sn-encapsulated spherical hollow carbon. The size of spherical hollow carbon and Sn metal particles was controllable by changing the R/CTAB or TBPT/CTAB mole ratio, respectively. It is likely that, when tested as the anode in Li secondary batteries, the spherical hollow carbon acts as a barrier to prevent the aggregation of nanosized Sn particles and provides a void space for Sn metal particles to experience a volume change without a collapse of carbon shell, giving rise to a better cycle performance than that of pure Sn metal.

Metallic Sn‐Based Anode Materials: Application in High‐Performance Lithium‐Ion and Sodium‐Ion Batteries

“…Lee et al139 synthesized Sn/C york–shell nanospheres with Sn particles encapsulated in hollow spherical carbon shells through a soft template method ( Figure 13 a). The carbon shells acted as a barrier to prevent Sn particles from aggregation, and the hollow carbon capsule provided inner space to hold the volume change of Sn.…”

Superior cycle performance of Sn@C/graphene nanocomposite as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries

“…The carbon matrixes cannot only accommodate the volume change of Sn during charge-discharge process but also provide the electron transport pathways due to the high electronic conductivity of the carbonaceous materials. Various carbon matrixes with different morphologies have been used to prepare Sn/C composites, such as carbon nanotubes [16,17], carbon nanofibers [18], hollow carbon spheres [19,20], and carbon microbeads [21]. All these Sn/C composites show better cycle performance than bare Sn anode material.…”

Designed Synthesis of Coaxial SnO2@carbon Hollow Nanospheres for Highly Reversible Lithium Storage

“…[3,5,11] For example, if the SnO 2 anode comprises hollow and/or porous nanostructures, the local empty space in the structures can partially accommodate the large volume change, delaying capacity fading. [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] Another commonly used approach is to use nanocomposite materials (e.g., the inactive/ active concept). [1] In particular, nanopainting with carbon has recently been found effective for improving cyclability, where carbon functions as a physical buffering layer for the large volume change (cushion effect).…”