Surfactant-assisted synthesis of Sn nanoparticles via solution plasma technique

•Tin nanoparticles (Sn-NPs) were synthesized via solution plasma technique.•The nanoparticle morphology varied with surfactant concentrations.•Sn-NP/graphite composite was evaluated as anode material for lithium ion batteries.•Composite of Sn-NPs 30% had 414 mA h g−1 capacity after 20 cycles.

We have adopted a solution plasma synthesis for preparing Sn nanoparticles (Sn-NPs) directly from metallic Sn electrode. The Sn-NPs were synthesized in the presence of the surfactant, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), and the effect of the concentration of CTAB on the Sn-NPs was investigated. Without CTAB addition, SnO plates were precipitated. Sn-NPs with less than 200 nm were synthesized at a high concentration of 200 × 10−6 g ml−1 of CTAB. Electrochemical properties of SnO plates and Sn-NPs were analyzed for use as an anode material in Li-ion batteries. A composite of Sn-NPs and graphite enhanced the cyclic stability owing to the buffer space provided by the graphite for volume expansion. In the case of the 30 wt% loaded Sn-NPs, the capacity was measured to be 414 mA h g−1 after 20 cycles.

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