Synthesis and characterization of carbon coated sponge-like tin oxide (SnOx) films and their application as electrode materials in lithium-ion batteries

Nils Mohri; Bernd Oschmann; Nina Laszczynski; Franziska Mueller; Jan von Zamory; Muhammad Nawaz Tahir; Stefano Passerini; Rudolf Zentel; Wolfgang Tremel

doi:10.1039/C5TA06546A

Synthesis and characterization of carbon coated sponge-like tin oxide (SnO_x) films and their application as electrode materials in lithium-ion batteries†

Nils Mohri,‡^a Bernd Oschmann,‡^bc Nina Laszczynski,^def Franziska Mueller,^def Jan von Zamory,^def Muhammad Nawaz Tahir,^a Stefano Passerini,^def Rudolf Zentel*^b and Wolfgang Tremel*^a

Author affiliations

* Corresponding authors

^a Institute for Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, University of Mainz, Duesbergweg 10–14, 55128 Mainz, Germany
E-mail: tremel@uni-Mainz.de

^b Institute for Organic Chemistry, University of Mainz, Duesbergweg 10–14, 55128 Mainz, Germany
E-mail: zentel@uni-Mainz.de

^c Graduate School Materials Science in Mainz, Staudinger Weg 9, Mainz, Germany

^d Helmholtz Institute Ulm (HIU), Electrochemistry I, Helmholtzstr. 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany

^e Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Muenster, Corrensstr. 28/30, 48149 Muenster, Germany

^f Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), P.O. Box 3640, Karlsruhe, Germany

Abstract

Nanoporous metal oxides are widely used for the development of various functional nanostructures. We report on the synthesis of sponge-like tin oxide films on copper foil by anodization of electrochemically deposited tin films. The thin films are functionalized using a surface-anchoring carbon precursor-polymer (poly(acrylonitrile-b-dopamine acrylamide)) followed by annealing at elevated temperature to convert the polymer coating into a carbonaceous coating. The as prepared and the carbon coated films are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy. Subsequently, both SnO_x films are employed as anode materials in lithium ion batteries. Carbon coating has a beneficial effect on the battery performance with respect to the rate capability, increasing the capacity by 200 mA h g⁻¹ for all applied current densities. After 20 cycles, coated samples show a reversible specific charge capacity of 497 mA h g⁻¹. Ex situ scanning electron microscopy reveals the retention of the sponge-like morphology even after cycling.

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Article information

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/C5TA06546A
Article type: Paper
Submitted: 19 Aug 2015
Accepted: 13 Nov 2015
First published: 23 Nov 2015

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J. Mater. Chem. A, 2016,4, 612-619

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Synthesis and characterization of carbon coated sponge-like tin oxide (SnO_x) films and their application as electrode materials in lithium-ion batteries

N. Mohri, B. Oschmann, N. Laszczynski, F. Mueller, J. von Zamory, M. N. Tahir, S. Passerini, R. Zentel and W. Tremel, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2016, 4, 612 DOI: 10.1039/C5TA06546A

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Journal of Materials Chemistry A