Simple ball-milling enables embedding of SnO2 nanoparticles into micron carbon for stable lithium storage

Despite the improved performance of SnO₂/C composites, these composites usually involve complex preparation processes that are not conducive to the development of SnO₂ anode. Herein, a simple ball-milling and followed by carbonization approach was demonstrated to synthesize SnO₂ NPs@C composite composed of SnO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) embedded within micron carbon. The findings confirmed that the combination of introduction of carbon and modulation of SnO₂ NPs content offered SnO₂ NPs@C superior structural stability and good kinetics including high Li⁺ diffusion coefficient and low activation energy for charge transfer, and hence it shown stable lithium storage performance with 1000 cycles of lifespan.