In-situ vulcanization synthesis of honeycomb-like SnS/C nanocomposites as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

Abstract SnS has become a popular anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) because of its higher theoretical capacity and lower cost. However, the huge volume change and dissolution of sulfur lead to sharply attenuated capacity and less than ideal rate performance in the process of repeated discharge/charge. Here we use silica spheres and allyl thiourea as hard template and carbon/sulfur sources, respectively, to synthetize SnS nanoparticles anchored three-dimensional porous carbon (SnS/C nanocomposites) by in-situ carbonization and vulcanization method. As a result, the SnS/C nanocomposites exhibit high specific capacity (607.6 mA h g−1 at 0.1 A g−1), excellent rate performance (313.2 mA h g−1 at 3 A g−1), and outstanding cycling stability (404.7 mA h g−1 after 300 cycles at 1 A g−1). The distinguished electrochemical performance of SnS/C nanocomposites is due to the N, S-doped three-dimensional porous carbon interconnection structure and the wide range of SnS nanoparticles in the carbon matrix. Such combination not only improves the conductivity of the material but also maintains the integrity of the structure, eventually improving the cycling stability of the material.