Nano-SnSb alloy deposited on MCMB as an anode material for lithium ion batteries

Abstract

Nanosized SnSb alloy has been deposited and dispersed uniformly on the surface of mesophase carbon microbeads (MCMB) by a co-precipitation method in glycerin solution. As an active anode material for lithium ion batteries these composites show improved cycling performance. This improvement is due to the dispersion of the nano-sized alloy particles on the carbon surface that can alleviate the aggregation of nano-sized alloy particles during Li insertion and extraction. Furthermore, as both SnSb alloy and MCMB are active materials for Li-storage, a higher reversible capacity of 420 mA h g⁻¹ has been achieved for the composite containing 26 wt% of SnSb alloy deposited on MCMB.