One-pot environment-friendly synthesis of boron doped graphene-SnO 2 for excellent anodic performance in Li ion battery

High specific capacity, availability of tin oxide (SnO 2 ) and improved electrical conductivity and rate capability of boron-doped graphene sheets ( B G) promises the composite of the two as a potential anode material for Li ion battery. We report for the first time, one-pot synthesis of SnO 2 dispersed boron-doped few layer graphene (SnO 2 / B G-I) in an environment friendly, hazardous-harmful reducing agent free, hydrogen assisted reduction technique in comparison to complicated two-step conventional process. In addition, a two-step, wet chemical free, greener approach is also employed to achieve SnO 2 nanoparticles over B G support (SnO 2 / B G-II). Both the materials as anode showed enhanced performance compared to un-doped graphene supported SnO 2 nanoparticles (SnO 2 /G). One-pot synthesized SnO 2 / B G-I as anode in Li ion battery shows comparable performance with a reversible capacity of 348 mAh g −1 at a current density 200 mA g −1 , while SnO 2 / B G-II with higher amount of boron doping, exhibits higher stability over cycles with an excellent reversible capacity of 558 mAh g −1 due to the uniform distribution of SnO 2 over boron-doped graphene sheets.