Nanosized SnSb Alloy Pinning on Hard Non-Graphitic Carbon Spherules as Anode Materials for a Li Ion Battery

Nanosized SnSb alloy particles were pinned on the surface of micrometer-sized hard carbon spherules by a coprecipitation method in glycol solution at low temperature. Thanks to the small alloy particle size, good dispersion, and tight pinning of the alloy particles on the surface of carbon, in addition to the fact that both the alloy and the carbon are active for Li storage, the composite materials as prepared show much improved electrochemical performances as anode materials for lithium ion batteries compared with alloy and carbon alone. Such a special structure effectively hinders the aggregation of nanosized alloy particles, which are the main difficulties in the application of nanoscale alloy-based anode materials for Li ion batteries.