Template-free synthesis of SnO2 hollow nanostructures with high lithium storage capacity

Abstract

A simple one-pot template-free synthesis of SnO2 hollow nanostructures, based on an inside-out Ostwald ripening mechanism, was analyzed. The synthesis was performed in an ethanol-water mixed solvent using potassium stannate as the precursor. It was found that the precursor concentration has a dramatic effect on both the morphology and size of the product in template-free synthesis. The precursor concentration when reduced, the product consisted entirely of discrete hollow nanospheres with a diameter in the range 5--200nm and wall thickness of about 10nm. The SAED pattern confirms that these hollow nanospheres were polycrystalline tetragonal SnO2 and a higher concentration produced similar core/shell hollow nanoparticles but with a larger size. The results show that the as-prepared SnO2 hollow nanospheres exhibit superior lithium storage capacity and cycle performance when used as anode materials in lithium-ion batteries.