Green method of encapsulating SnO2 in the matrix of corn stalk-derived carbon used for high-performance lithium-ion battery anode material

Biomass-derived carbon has received widespread attention as an environment-friendly lithium-ion anode material. Simultaneously, SnO 2 -based electrodes have inherent limitations and urgently need to be optimized. This article proposes a facile hydrothermal carbonization method to encapsulate SnO 2 particles into biomass-derived carbon. As the anode electrode of a lithium-ion battery, the composite exhibits high reversible capacities of 1439 mAh g −1 and 1160 mAh g −1 after 150 cycles at 0.2 C and 1 C, respectively. In addition, it also has excellent rate performance (567 mAh g −1 at 5 C). The improvement in electrochemical performance can be attributed to the fact that SnO 2 nanoparticles are embedded in the conductive carbon layer, shortening the diffusion length of Li + and maintaining structural integrity. This presents an effective way to design high-performance electrode materials.