Uniform hierarchical SnS microspheres: Solvothermal synthesis and lithium ion storage performance

•Uniform hierarchical SnS microspheres via solvothermal reaction.•The formation process was investigated in detail.•The obtained hierarchical SnS microspheres exhibit superior capacity (1650 mAh g−1) when used as lithium battery for the hierarchical microsphere structure.

Hierarchical SnS microspheres have been successfully synthesized by a mild solvothermal process using poly(vinylpyrrolidone) as surfactant in this work. The morphology and composition of the microspheres were investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The influence of reaction parameters, such as sulfur sources, reaction temperature and the concentration of PVP, on the final morphology of the products are investigated. On the basis of time-dependent experiments, the growth mechanism has also been proposed. The specific surface area of the 3D hierarchitectured SnS microspheres were investigated by using nitrogen adsorption and desorption isotherms. Lithium ion storage performances of the synthesized materials as anodes for Lithium-ion battery were investigated in detail and it exhibits excellent electrochemical properties.

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