Volume
variation, pulverization, and dead Sn accumulation that
occur during lithiation/delithiation cycling are the main drawbacks
of using SnO2 particles as anodes in lithium ion batteries
(LIBs). In this work, we fabricated [001]-oriented SnO2 nanorods with different thicknesses (55–105 nm) on carbon
cloth and sealed them with a layer of partially reduced graphene oxide
(rGO@SnO2@CC). Through systematic evaluation, we found
that in the thinnest SnO2 nanorods (≲55 nm), there
is no dead Sn observed after 100 cycles of lithiation/delithiation
in LIBs. The pulverization of the thinnest SnO2 nanorod
as an anode is also greatly suppressed. In contrast, the pulverization
of SnO2 nanorods and severe aggregation of dead Sn occurred
in the thicker SnO2 (75 and 105 nm), which severely affects
its electrochemical performance. The property of the rGO@SnO2@CC with thinner SnO2 nanorods makes it a promising anode
material for LIBs. The work should also be beneficial for the development
of SnO2-based anode materials for LIBs.