Synthesis and electrochemical characterization of nano-sized Ag4Sn particles as anode material for lithium-ion batteries

Abstract For the first time, sub 10 nm sized intermetallic Ag 4 Sn particles are prepared via an aqueous synthesis route in order to improve the electrochemical performance of pure Sn nanoparticles. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis are used to investigate the morphology, crystal structure and particle surface of the as prepared Ag 4 Sn nanoparticles. In addition, galvanostatic cycling and cyclic voltammetry measurements are carried out to characterize the electrochemical behavior of the particles. Upon lithiation and de-lithiation a phase transformation from Ag 4 Sn to Ag 3 Sn is observed, which has not been reported so far. The intermetallic nanoparticle-based anode delivers a specific de-lithiation capacity of 460 mAhg −1 for more than 150 cycles.