Electrospun SnO2 and TiO2 Composite Nanofibers for Lithium Ion Batteries

•We prepared three types of SnO2/TiO2 composite nanofibers via a facile electrospinning method.•Both SnO2 and TiO2 in these fibers are identified as a rutile phase by XRD and Raman Spectroscopy.•Composite nanofibers show superior electrochemical performance to pure TiO2 and SnO2fibers.•The enhanced cycling stability is due to the space confinement provided by the stable TiO2 matrix.

Three types of SnO2/TiO2 composite nanofibers (homogeneous SnO2/TiO2, heterogeneous SnO2/TiO2 and SnO2 NPs/TiO2) have been prepared via a facile electrospinning method combined with a sol-gel chemistry, whose electrochemical performance as anode materials in lithium-ion battery was evaluated and compared to that of pure TiO2 and SnO2electrospunnanofibers (NFs). Rutile phase TiO2nanofibers demonstrated an extremely stable but relatively low gravimetric specific capacity of ∼80 mAh g−1 when discharged at 100 mA g−1. In contrast, rutile phase SnO2nanofibers showed a much more unstable but higher specific capacity, which dropped from initial 800 to ∼35 mAh g−1 after 50 cycles. The incorporation of structurally unstable SnO2 into stable TiO2 matrix can significantly improve both the cycling performance and specific capacity. These composite nanofibers possess a much higher initial gravimetric specific capacity (>500 mAh g−1) than rutile phase TiO2nanofibers and maintain superior capacity retention to pure SnO2 NFs. The enhanced cycling stability is attributed to the space confinement provided by the structurally stable TiO2, which finding can provide a beneficial guidance for future lithium ion battery electrode development.

Graphical abstractThe incorporation of structurally unstable SnO2 into stable TiO2 matrix via an electrospinning method can significantly improve both the cycling performance and specific capacity as lithium ion battery anodes.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide