Structures and properties of Sn[O.sub.2] nanofibers derived from two different polymer intermediates

Two types of Sn[O.sub.2] nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning and calcination of polyvinyl acetate/ stannic chloride pentahydrate and polyvinyl pyrrolidone/ stannic chloride pentahydrate precursors, respectively. Due to the different properties of polymer solutions and different decomposition mechanisms during calcination, the as-prepared Sn[O.sub.2] nanofibers showed different morphologies and crystal structures. As a result, they exhibited different performance when used as lithium-ion battery anodes and photocatalysts. In the lithium-ion battery test, the Sn[O.sub.2] nanofibers obtained from polyvinyl acetate/stannic chloride pentahydrate precursor showed a higher reversible specific capacity (871 mAh [g.sup.-1]) and better cycling performance (574 mAh [g.sup.-1] after 20th cycles) because their cobweb-like structure and polycrystalline nature had better ability to accommodate the volume changes of Sn[O.sub.2]. On the other hand, Sn[O.sub.2] nanofibers derived from polyvinyl pyrrolidone/stannic chloride pentahydrate precursor exhibited higher photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (56 %) even at a low concentration of ([10.sup.-5] M, 50 ml) because they provided higher surface area for absorbing and degrading methylene blue.