Crystalline Sb–Cu alloy films as anode materials for Li-ion rechargeable batteries

• The XRD patterns of Sb–Cu alloy film had a good crystalline nature of coatings.
• FE-SEM illustrate that crystallite Cu2Sb alloy particles uniformly dispersed Cu foil substrate.
• Cu2Sb alloy itself is a rod-like shape demonstrating Sb particles on Cu particles domain with approximately 100 nm sizes.
• An initial discharge capacity is 850 mAh g−1 and 1034 mAh g−1 at the end of 30th cycle.
• The coulombic efficiency is approximately 83.5% and thermally stable.

A crystalline Sb–Cu alloy is investigated for use in Li-ion rechargeable batteries, and its structural, electrochemical and thermal properties are characterized. A pulse electrodeposition method is used to prepare Sb–Cu alloy film on Cu foil as a negative electrode. The structure of the alloy film electrode is characterized using XRD, FE-SEM and EDX. The electrochemical behavior of the Sb–Cu alloy film is investigated at the current rate of 0.1C to the cut-off potential range of 1.8 and 0.01 V vs. Li/Li+. Our experimental results demonstrate that the initial discharge capacity is 850 mAh g−1 and that the discharge capacity increases to 1034 mAh g−1 at the end of the 30th cycle with a stable cycle life. The Coulombic efficiency is approximately 83.5% with good cyclability. Moreover, the crystalline Sb–Cu alloy film has relatively low exothermic properties, and it may be an interesting candidate for use in the negative electrodes of Li-ion batteries.