Novel hierarchical flowers-like Sn₃O₄firstly used as anode materials for lithium ion batteries

A mixed-valence tin oxide, hierarchical Sn₃O₄nanoflowers were synthesized via a hydrothermal route without any template. The flower-like Sn₃O₄presented a specials three dimensional structure, which was assembled from single-crystalline Sn₃O₄nanosheets. The unique structure possesses a large enough inner space and a high active surface area, which not only could make the liquid electrolyte diffusion into the electrode more easily but also could provide sufficient free volume for the volume changes in the discharging and charging process. As anode materials for lithium ion batteries, Sn₃O₄nanosheets were investigated for the first time. As anode materials for LIBs, the first discharge capacity is 1256 mA h/g. The reversible capacity and the coulomb efficiency after 50 cycles are 505.2 mA h/g and 94.3%, respectively. Due to its excellent electrochemical properties, Sn₃O₄has a great promising potential as a kind of abundant, cheap, environmentally benign anode materials for lithium ion batteries.