A new phase in Ni–Sn–P system and its property as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries

A new metastable phase was synthesized by ball milling. The new phase is tetragonal with lattice parameters a = 3.671 Å and c = 4.033 Å. It was found that the new phase transformed into equilibrium orthorhombic Ni2SnP phase at 973 K. The initial capacity of the lithium battery with the tetragonal Ni2SnP phase as anode material reaches 500.4 mAh/g, but decreases to 181.8 mAh/g after 25 cycles. However, its initial irreversible capacity is 102 mAh/g, which makes it a promising anode material.