Synthesis of ternary SnO2–MoO3–C composite with nanosheet structure as high-capacity, high-rate and long-lifetime anode for lithium-ion batteries

Abstract The SnO2–MoO3–C composite anode for Li-ion batteries (LIBs) was produced via simple hydrothermal synthesis and dry ball milling. In this hybrid, nanosized-SnO2/MoO3 nanoparticles were encapsulated in plate-like graphite. MoO3 additive can protect Sn from aggregating and accelerate the reversible conversion reaction (Sn/Li2O hybrid transformation into SnO2). The SnO2–MoO3–C displays high initial coulombic efficiency of 70% (average for five cells), high reversible specific capacity of 1338.3 mAhg−1 at 0.2 A g-1 after 300 cycles, superior rate capacity of 715.08 mAhg−1 at 5 A g-1 and long-term cyclic stability, with capacity of 571.9 mAhg−1 at 2.0 A g-1 after 1000 cycles. Owing to its superior performance and simple synthesis, the SnO2–MoO3–C composite is a promising anode material for LIBs.