Sn Nanoparticles Anchored on Carbon Foam Prepared by a Facile Electrodeposition for Lithium Storage

As an anode material of lithium-ion batteries (LIB), Sn has great application potential due to its high theoretical specific capacity. However, the Li-Sn alloying reaction causes serious volume expansion and destroys the electrode structure, resulting in a rapid capacity decay. Herein, a simple preparation method for the Sn-carbon composites (Sn/CF) is designed by electrodepositing Sn nanoparticles on 3D carbon foam (CF) derived from the carbonization of melamine. Sn/CF-3h exhibits excellent electrochemical properties. At 1 A g(-1), the specific capacity of Sn/CF-3h remains 166.6 mAh g(-1) with a high capacity retention of 85.4% even over 2000 cycles. The designed structure of the Sn/CF electrode contributes to its excellent performance: providing a 3D conductive network, accommodating volume changes to prevent Sn nanoparticles from losing electrical contact, and promoting contact with electrolyte to accelerate lithium ion transmission.