Design and synthesis of graphene/SnO/polyacrylamide nanocomposites as anode material for lithium-ion batteries.

Tin dioxide (SnO) is a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries owing to its large theoretical capacity (1494 mA h g). However, its practical application is hindered by these problems: the low conductivity, which restricts rate performance of the electrode, and the drastic volume change (400%). In this study, we designed a novel polyacrylamide/SnO nanocrystals/graphene gel (PAAm@SnONC@GG) structure, in which SnO nanocrystals anchored in three-dimensional graphene gel network and the polyacrylamide layers could effectively prevent the agglomeration of SnO nanocrystals, presenting excellent cyclability and rate performance. A capacity retention of over 90% after 300 cycles of 376 mA h g was achieved at a current density of 5 A g. In addition, a stable capacity of about 989 mA h g at lower current density of 0.2 A g was achieved.