Facile hydrothermal synthesis of SnCoS4/graphene composites with excellent electrochemical performance for reversible lithium ion storage

An SnCoS4/graphene composite is synthesized via a one-step hydrothermal route. Characterizations reveal that such composite consists of SnCoS4 hybrid nanocrystals with small and uniform sizes, which are well dispersed on graphene. The electrochemical lithium storage measurements demonstrate that the SnCoS4/graphene composite exhibits a high reversible capacity of 1396 mA h g−1 at 100 mA g−1 and enhanced rate capability of 1145 mA h g−1 at 1000 mA g−1. In particular, a reversible capacity of 940 mA h g−1 can be retained after 2000 cycles at a high current density of 2000 mA g−1, indicating its excellent cyclic stability. The SnCoS4/graphene composite prepared in this work is promising as the host electrode material for high-performance lithium ion batteries.