Nanostructured Columnar Tin Oxide Thin Film Electrode for Lithium Ion Batteries

Abstract

Nanostructured tin oxide thin films with columnar grains were deposited on gold-coated silicon substrates using the combustion chemical vapor deposition method. Microscopy revealed that the columnar grains were covered by nanoparticles of less than 20 nm. The electrochemical behavior of the as-prepared thin film electrodes was examined against a lithium counter electrode. These thin film electrodes exhibited high specific capacity and good capacity retention. The capacity increased from an initial value of about 353 (μA h)/(cm2 μm) gradually to a maximum value of ∼490 (μA h)/(cm2 μm) during cycling. The reversible capacity was about 460 (μA h)/(cm2 μm) after 80 cycles at a charge/discharge rate of 0.3 mA/cm2. When the electrodes were discharged at 0.9 mA/cm2, the capacity retention obtained was about 64% of the capacity at 0.3 mA/cm2. The good electrochemical performance is attributed to the unique nanostructure with longitudinal and radial connectivity of active materials.

Morphology Control of Metal Oxide Nanocrystals

“…A variety of SnO 2 nanostructures including nanowires, nanobelts 165 , nanotubes 150,166,167 , nanorods 168,169 , spirals, nanorings 170 , zigzag nanobelts 171 , grains 172 , flakes 172 , plates 172 , meshes 173 and columnar thin film 149 were synthesized. Tin chlorides (SnCl 2 or SnCl 4 ) were commonly used in many reports.…”

Hybrid nanocomposite based on cellulose and tin oxide: growth, structure, tensile and electrical characteristics

“…We chose SnO 2 because it is an electrical conductor that is optically transparent in the visible spectrum with a wide band gap of 3.6 eV at room temperature. SnO 2 has been widely used in gas sensors [9,10], optical devices [11], lithium batteries [12,13] and so on. Thus, a hybrid nanocomposite of cellulose and SnO 2 can combine the natural polymer properties of cellulose with the electrical conductivity of SnO 2 .…”

Nanofabrication of Metal Oxide Patterns Using Self-Assembled Monolayers

“…106 and so on. Various kinds of tin oxide nano-structures such as nano-fibers 107 , nano-wires 108,109 , nano-belts 110 , nano-tubes 111 , nano-rods 112,113 , spirals, nano-rings 114 , zigzag nano-belts 115 , grains 116 , flakes 116 , plates 116 , meshes 117 and columnar thin films 118 were reported. Surface coating of substrates with tin oxide nano-structures are strongly required for the future devices.…”