Mutual Independence Ensured Long-Term Cycling Stability: Template-Free Electrodeposited Sn4Ni3 Nanoparticles as Anode Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries

The key challenge in utilizing tin-based intermetallic compounds for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is the poor cycling stability which is caused by the huge volume change during the alloying/de-alloying processes. In this work, concerning this issue, a novel template-free electrodeposition procedure to prepare mutual independent Sn4Ni3 nanoparticles is presented. As-fabricated Sn4Ni3 nanoparticles deliver a high reversible capacity of 388.9 mAh g–1 at a current density of 50 mA g–1. Especially, such materials possess admirable cycling stability (no capacity fading after 1200 cycles at 200 mA g–1) which can be attributed to the mutual independence of each nanoparticle. Combining with the high rate capability, the Sn4Ni3 nanoparticles present a promising future of long-life tin-based intermetallic LIB anodes