Ultrafine SnO₂ nanoparticles on delaminated MXene nanosheets as an anode for lithium-ion batteries

Commercial graphite anodes show limited capacity in lithium-ion batteries, which inhibits the development of high-energy and high-power devices. Although the theoretical capacity of SnO₂ based anodes is three times higher than that of graphite, their practical application is hindered by the poor cycling stability. In this study, we report a ball-milling assisted exfoliation method for the scalable production of delaminated MXene nanosheets, followed by the preparation of 5 nm SnO₂ nanocrystals anchored on MXene nanosheets through a hydrothermal reaction. SnO₂/MXenes nanocomposites exhibit long cycling life up to 1000 cycles with a high capacity of 904 mA h g⁻¹, which can be ascribed to the high conductivity of the MXene substrates, and the anchoring effect between SnO₂ nanoparticles and MXene sheets that can prevent crystal aggregation or collapse during cycling.