Solid polymer electrolyte coating three-dimensional Sn/Ni bimetallic nanotube arrays for high performance lithium-ion battery anodes

In order to mitigate the drastic volumetric expansion and maintain solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) stability of Sn anodes for lithium-ion battery, Sn/Ni@PEO bimetallic nanotube arrays are designed and fabricated. The Sn/Ni nanotube arrays grow directly on Cu foil by electrodeposition and a facile template based solution route, and further modify the surface by uniform PEO coating on the outer surface of the Sn/Ni nanotubes. Owing to the short lithium ion diffusion distance, high contact surface area, and very good structure stability of the nanotube arrays, the Sn/Ni@PEO nanotube arrays exhibit remarkable cyclic stability (approximate 806 mA h g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 after 200 cycles) and high power capability (a reversible capacity of 300 mA h g−1 at 2 A g−1). Such excellent electrochemical performance suggests that the Sn/Ni@PEO nanotube arrays can serve as a promising anode for lithium-ion batteries.