A SnSb–C nanocomposite as high performance electrode for lithium ion batteries

A tin antimony based electrode has been synthesized in the form of nanometric particles housed into the pores of a protective, amorphous carbon matrix. Electrochemical results, obtained using this material as the working electrode in a lithium cell, suggested that the electrochemical process involves both SnSb intermetallic and Sn metal, present in the carbon matrix. Moreover, the results demonstrated that the optimized nanostructure prevents the mechanical drawbacks, associated with the volume changes during the alloying processes, which normally affect this class of materials. Finally, a lithium ion battery based on the SnSb–C electrode as the anode and lithium iron phosphate, LiFePO4, as the cathode, showed very promising performance.