Fabrication of binder-free graphene-SnO2 electrodes by laser introduced conversion of precursors for lithium secondary batteries

Binder-free graphene-SnO2 electrodes were prepared by laser introduced conversion of precursor (mixture of graphene oxide and stannic oxide sol) coatings on a copper film. The evolution of the microstructure, thermal stability, morphologies and sheet resistance has been studied as a function of laser fluences. It was shown that the conversion of precursors is mainly attributed to the photothermic effect, and a laser fluence of 69.3 J cm−2 is the best condition for sample preparation. When the as-prepared electrode used as an anode for lithium ion batteries, it has been demonstrated with a high lithium storage capacity and good cycling stability. A high capacity of around 700 mAh g−1 can be retained after 50 cycles at a current density of 100 mA g−1, and even after 400 cycles the specific capacity steadied to around 690 mAh g−1. Such electrodes have a short preparing procedure and good electrochemical performance, so the fabrication method adopted here could be referable for industrial continuous production.