Carbon-coated SnS/NiS heterostructures scattered on the rGO lamellas as composite anode for lithium-ion batteries

NiS and SnS are deemed as outstanding candidates for next-generation lithium-ion battery (LIB) electrodes. However, their significant initial irreversible capacity and volume expansion issues have been the bottlenecks for their commercial applications. To address these challenges, a facile hydrothermal method combined with high-temperature thermal decomposition technique was employed in this study to successfully synthesize NiS/SnS nanocomposite particles with remarkably enhanced specific surface area and tiny particle size. These particles were delicately encapsulated in an amorphous carbon layer and uniformly anchored on graphene nanosheets to form the SnNSCG composite. This well-designed SnNSCG composite significantly improves the electrochemical reaction kinetics and enables an efficient Li ⁺ reversible storage process. Thanks to the distinctive three-dimensional crosslinked heterogeneous structure and the synergistic effect between different components, the SnNSCG electrode exhibits an outstanding specific capacity of up to 993.8 mA h g ⁻¹ at 50 mA g ⁻¹. More impressively, after 500 cycles at 500 mA g ⁻¹, the electrode still maintains a reversible capacity of 860.5 mA h g ⁻¹, and these performances are superior to those of other parallel-prepared comparison electrodes. In summary, the developed SnNSCG composite electrode offers a promising alternative for lithium-ion battery energy storage applications by virtue of the excellent performance.