Effect of heat treatment temperature on the electrochemical properties of SnSb-based Cu electrodes for lithium batteries

SnSb alloys have been directly electro-co-deposited on Cu substrates. In this study, we investigated the effects of heat treatment temperature on morphology, composition, phase structure, chemical states and electrochemical performance of the SnSb deposits on Cu electrodes for lithium-ion batteries. The results showed that the pristine SnSb deposits was composed of SnSb intermetallic and a small amount of Sn. The results also showed that heat treatment strongly influenced the morphology, composition, structure, chemical states and these differences in electrode characteristics are expected to reflect in differences in the electrochemical behavior. Electrochemical measurements showed that appropriate heat treatment temperature can effectively alleviate the volume expansion and improve the cycling stability. The SnSb-based Cu electrode heat-treated at 400 °C for 2 h has the best reversible capacity and capacity retention. The best electrode cycled with a high reversible capacity of over 600.0 mA h/g with no decay after 100 cycles.