A film of porous carbon nanofibers that contain Sn/SnOx nanoparticles in the pores and its electrochemical performance as an anode material for lithium ion batteries

A film of porous carbon nanofibers that contain Sn/SnOx nanoparticles in the pores has been prepared by an electrospinning process. The pores in the fibers and the abundant spaces between the fibers not only offer more interface for the reaction of the film and lithium ions, but also buffer the volumetric change of the whole film during cycling. The nanofibers consist of porous carbon with encapsulated Sn/SnOx nanoparticles. The size of the particles encapsulated in the pores is smaller than the volume of the pores, thus providing buffering spaces for the volumetric change of tin during cycling. These features result in its good electrochemical performance that is 735 and 510 mAh g−1 in the 1st and 40th cycle, respectively. This film can be used as an electrode directly without any binder or conductive filler.

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► In situ formation of porous carbon nanofibers and Sn/SnOx nanoparticles encapsulated in pores.
► Providing residual spaces around Sn particles. Such residual spaces could act as the buffer for the large volumetric change of tin during cycling.
► Porous structure could also increase the capacity according to the micropore storage mechanism of lithium.