SnO₂–reduced graphene oxide nanoribbons as anodes for lithium ion batteries with enhanced cycling stability

A nanocomposite material of SnO₂-reduced graphene oxide nanoribbons has been developed. In this composite, the reduced graphene oxide nanoribbons are uniformly coated by nanosized SnO₂ that formed a thin layer of SnO₂ on the surface. When used as anodes in lithium ion batteries, the composite shows outstanding electrochemical performance with the high reversible discharge capacity of 1, 027 mAh/g at 0.1 A/g after 165 cycles and 640 mAh/g at 3.0 A/g after 160 cycles with current rates varying from 0.1 to 3.0 A/g and no capacity decay after 600 cycles compared to the second cycle at a current density of 1.0 A/g. The high reversible capacity, good rate performance and excellent cycling stability of the composite are due to the synergistic combination of electrically conductive reduced graphene oxide nanoribbons and SnO₂. The method developed here is practical for the large-scale development of anode materials for lithium ion batteries.