Polycrystalline SnO2 nanowires coated with amorphous carbon nanotube as anode material for lithium ion batteries

One-dimensional (1D) SnO2 nanowires, coated by in situ formed amorphous carbon nanotubes (a-CNTs) with a mean diameter of ca. 60 nm, were synthesized by annealing the anodic alumina oxide (AAO) filled with a sol of SnO2. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns revealed that the prepared SnO2 nanowires exist in polycrystalline rutile structure. The coating of carbon nanotubes has some defects on the wall after the internal SnO2 nanoparticles were removed. The 1D SnO2 nanowires present a reversible capacity of 441 mAh/g and an excellent cycling performance as an anode material for lithium ion batteries. This suggests that 1D nanostructured materials have great promise for practical application.