Orderly stacked graphene sheets supporting SnO₂ nanoparticles as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries with incremental capacity

The large capacity fading and short lifespan of SnO₂-based anodes originate from the serious coarsening of Sn nanoparticles caused by structural reorganization of SnO₂ during repeated cycling. Herein, a hybrid structure composed of SnO₂ supported on orderly stacked graphene sheets (SnO₂@OS-rGO) is constructed by freeze-casting method to address the above issues. The orderly stacked graphene anchors SnO₂ firmly depending on the π-π interactions, thus improves the discharge capacity and cycling stability of SnO₂. Besides, the ordered graphene promotes the reaction kinetics of SnO₂@OS-rGO by shorten the transmission path of lithium ions. As a result, the obtained SnO₂@OS-rGO delivers an unconventional discharge capacity up to 1080 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.2 A g⁻¹ for over 500 cycles, which increased by ~ 200% compared with the 1st cycle. The gradually increasing capacity originates from the improvement of the conversion reaction. This study provides a new strategy for developing long cycle stable SnO₂ anodes by introducing orderly stacked graphene.