Synthesis of Cu₂ZnSnS₄ as Novel Anode material for Lithium-ion Battery

Three dimensional (3D) kesterite Cu₂ZnSnS₄ (CZTS) is synthesized by a facile solvothermal method using oxalic acid (OA) as additive agent. The as-synthesized CZTS samples are further annealed at 400°C in argon atmosphere to obtain the expected samples. The structure and morphology of the expected samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) technique. The results show that the Cu₂ZnSnS₄ takes on morphology of microspheres with ultrathin nanosheet constituents and has a stoichiometric composition. As a novel anode material for the lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), the as-prepared CZTS microstructures exhibit both high reversible capacity and good cycling performance at room temperature under a potential window from 3.0 to 0.01 V (vs. Li⁺/Li) at current density of 100 mAg^-1. The achieved initial discharge capacity is 1125 mAhg^-1 and retained at 786 mAhg^-1 after 100 cycles, which suggests that the kesterite CZTS can be a promising candidate as a novel anode material for the lithium-ion battery. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.