SnO2 is regarded as one of the most promising
anodes via conversion-alloying mechanism for advanced
lithium ion batteries. However, the sluggish
conversion reaction severely degrades the reversible capacity, Coulombic efficiency and rate capability. In this paper, through constructing porous Ni/SnO2 composite
electrode composed of homogeneously distributed SnO2 and Ni nanoparticles, the reaction kinetics of SnO2 is greatly enhanced, leading to full
conversion reaction, superior cycling stability and improved rate capability. The uniformly distributed Ni nanoparticles provide a fast charge transport pathway for electrochemical reactions, and restrict the direct contact and aggregation of SnO2 nanoparticles during cycling. In the meantime, the void space among the nanoclusters increases the contact area between the
electrolyte and active materials, and accommodates the huge volume change during cycling as well. The Ni/SnO2 composite
electrode possesses a high reversible capacity of 820.5 mAh g(-1) at 1 A g(-1) up to 100 cycles. More impressively, large capacity of 841.9, 806.6, and 770.7 mAh g(-1) can still be maintained at high current densities of 2, 5, and 10 A g(-1) respectively. The results demonstrate that Ni/SnO2 is a high-performance
anode for advanced
lithium-ion batteries with high specific capacity, excellent rate capability, and cycling stability.