Neighbor nanocrystals of SnO^sub 2^ and TiO^sub 2^ for improved lithium storage

This work firstly demonstrates the rational design and preparation of neighbored SnO2 and TiO2 nanocrystals as advanced anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. TiO2 without volume effects is employed to act as structure stabilizer for immobilization of neighbored SnO2 that possesses huge volume variation, thus depressing the electrode pulverization and achieving improved cyclic stability. SnO2 with high theoretical capacity assures the high capacity of the composite anode. Endowed with the combined advantages of proper components selection and rational structure design, the present sample exhibits improved electrochemical anode performance, including high capacity, good cyclic stability, and especially high-rate performance (434 mAh g-1 over 500 cycle at 1 A g-1), making it a promising candidate for high-performance anodes.