Electrochemical Performances of the Sn-Cu Alloy Negative Electrode Materials through Simple Chemical Reduction Method

Sn-Cu alloy powders were prepared via a simple chemical reduction method for the negative electrode materials in lithiumion batteries. The addition of Cu can suppress the growth of Sn particles during synthetic process. Furthermore, the Cu also acts as a matrix phase against the volume change during cycling. With increasing amount of the Cu, a stable $Cu_6Sn_5$ phase formed in the Sn-Cu alloy and its cycle performance greatly enhanced depending on the Cu content. To promote the generation of the $Cu_6Sn_5$ phase, the synthesis temperature is raised to $60-100^{\circ}C$ from the ambient temperature. The Sn-Cu alloy powders prepared at elevated temperatures showed remarkable cycle performances. The Sn-Cu alloy powder obtained at $60^{\circ}C$ exhibited a significantly high volumetric capacity of over 2,000 mAh/cc at the 50th cycle.