Ultrafine SnO2 nanoparticles as a high performance anode material for lithium ion battery

•6–21 nm SnO2 nanoaprticles have been prepared at 160 °C for 30 min.•The ultrafine SnO2 nanoparticles have not obvious aggregation phenomenon.•The ultrafine SnO2 nanoparticles exhibit enhanced electrochemical performances compared with the reported pure SnO2 particles.

In this paper, the ultrafine tin oxides (SnO2) nanoparticles are fabricated by a facile microwave hydrothermal method with the mean size of only 14 nm. Phase compositions and microstructures of the as-prepared nanoparticles have been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It was found that the ultrafine SnO2 nanoparticles are obtained to be the pure rutile-structural phase with the good dispersibility. Galvanostatic cycling and cyclic voltammetry results indicate that the first discharge capacity of the ultrafine SnO2 electrode is 1196.63  mAh g−1, and the reversible capacity could retain 272.63 mAh g−1 at 100 mA g−1 after 50 cycles for lithium ion batteries (LIBs). The excellent electrochemical performance of the SnO2 anode for LIBs is attributed to its ultrafine nanostructure for providing active sites during lithium insertion/extraction processes. Pulverization and agglomeration of the active materials are effectively reduced by the microwave hydrothermal method.