A hybrid of SnO2 nanorods interlaced by unzipped carbon nanotube to enhance electrochemical properties for lithium ion battery

•A hybrid of UCNTs/SnO2 nanorods was synthesized by a hydrothermal route.•SnO2 nanorods are interlaced by UCNTs to form a network structure.•Combining SnO2 nanorods with UCNTs improved electrochemical performance.

A hybrid of SnO2 nanorods interlaced by unzipped carbon nanotubes (UCNTs) was synthesized by a simple hydrothermal route. The structure and morphology of the nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and N2 adsorption/desorption analysis. Both SEM and TEM images show that SnO2 nanorods were interlaced by UCNTs to form a network structure. The galvanostatic charge–discharge experiments showed that the reversible capacity of the hybrid was improved to 856 mA h g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 and kept at 541 mA h g−1 after 50 cycles at various current densities, which was higher than that of bare SnO2 nanorods.