Bowl-like SnO₂@carbon hollow particles as an advanced anode material for lithium-ion batteries

Despite the great advantages of hollow structures as electrodes for lithium-ion batteries, one apparent common drawback which is often criticized is their compromised volumetric energy density due to the introduced hollow interior. Here, we design and synthesize bowl-like SnO₂@carbon hollow particles to reduce the excessive hollow interior space while retaining the general advantages of hollow structures. As a result, the tap density can be increased about 30 %. The as-prepared bowl-like SnO₂@carbon hollow particles with conformal carbon support exhibit excellent lithium storage properties in terms of high capacity, stable cyclability and excellent rate capability. Super Bowl: A bowl-like hybrid hollow nanostructure of SnO₂@carbon is designed and fabricated as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries. With advantages of the unique architecture, the bowl-like SnO₂@carbon particles are able to deliver a high discharge capacity of 963 mAh g^-1 even after 100 cycles at a current density of 0.4 A g^-1. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.