Green method of encapsulating SnO2 in the matrix of corn stalk-derived carbon used for high-performance lithium-ion battery anode material

Biomass-derived carbon has received widespread attention as an environment-friendly lithium-ion anode material. Simultaneously, SnO2-based electrodes have inherent limitations and urgently need to be optimized. This article proposes a facile hydrothermal carbonization method to encapsulate SnO2 particles into biomass-derived carbon. As the anode electrode of a lithium-ion battery, the composite exhibits high reversible capacities of 1439 mAh g−1 and 1160 mAh g−1 after 150 cycles at 0.2 C and 1 C, respectively. In addition, it also has excellent rate performance (567 mAh g−1 at 5 C). The improvement in electrochemical performance can be attributed to the fact that SnO2 nanoparticles are embedded in the conductive carbon layer, shortening the diffusion length of Li+ and maintaining structural integrity. This presents an effective way to design high-performance electrode materials.