Sn₄P₃/TiC Composites as Li-Ion Battery Anode with High Volumetric Capacity and Good Rate Capability

Sn₄P₃ is a potential high-capacity anode material for a Li-ion battery; however, its practical application is hindered by the fast capacity decay due to insufficient electronic conductivity, large volume expansion, and progressive tin agglomeration upon cycling. Herein, it is demonstrated that the highly conductive but inactive TiC can serve as an efficient additive to address the aforementioned issues, thus resulting in largely enhanced cycle stability and rate capability of Sn₄P₃. More importantly, the incorporation of high-density TiC does not result in sacrifice in the volumetric capacity of the electrode. The Sn₄P₃/30TiC electrode delivers an initial volumetric capacity of ≈953.7 Ah L⁻¹. After 100 cycles, a capacity of ≈701.0 Ah L⁻¹ is maintained, which corresponds to a retention of ≈73.5%. This finding provides a feasible and effective strategy for designing stable anode materials with a high volumetric capacity.