Tin oxide nano-flower-anchored graphene composites as high-performance anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

The SnO 2 nano-flower/graphene (SnO 2 -NF/GN) composites were synthesized by using graphene (GN) and SnO 2 nano-flower (SnO 2 -NF). Among them, the SnO 2 -NFs were prefabricated by using sodium hydroxide and stannic chloride pentahydrate (SnCl 4 ·5H 2 O) as raw materials. The results of SEM show that the SnO 2 -NFs are uniformly dispersed on the surface of GN. Furthermore, compared with the pure SnO 2 , the as-prepared SnO 2 -NF/GN composites displayed superior cycle performace and high rate capability. The SnO 2 -NF/GN composite delivers a specific capacity of 650 mAh g −1 after 60 cycles and an excellent rate capability of 480 mAh g −1 at 2000 mA g −1 .