Sn@C fiber prepared by electrospinning as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

Tin-metal materials have the advantages of non-toxicity and low cost. When applied to the anode of lithium-ion battery, its theoretical specific capacity can reach 994 mAh g⁻¹. However, its large volume expansion will lead to the detachment of electrode material, which affects its cycling performance. Carbon material possesses the feature of a relatively stable structure; however, its theoretical specific capacity is low. Thus, the effective combination with Sn can not only effectively inhibit the change in material volume but also maintain a high specific capacity. In this work, Sn and PAN were combined using electrostatic spinning and heat treated to produce Sn@C fiber. Incorporation of different contents of SnCl₂·2H₂O into PAN in order to investigate the effect of Sn content on the electrochemical properties of materials. The results indicate that when SnCl₂·2H₂O incorporated is 2.0 g, the discharge specific capacity of Sn@C fiber electrode material can reach 542.40 mAh g⁻¹ after 100 cycles at a current density of 100 mA g⁻¹. Furthermore, the discharge specific capacity remains at 535.10 mAh g⁻¹ after 500 cycles at a current density of 500 mA g⁻¹, Sn@C fiber electrode material shows excellent electrochemical performance. This idea of uniformly dispersing tin nanoparticles into a carbon matrix provides a new direction for anode materials for long-cycle, high-capacity lithium-ion batteries.