Incorporating SnO2 nanodots into wood flour-derived hierarchically porous carbon as low-cost anodes for superior lithium storage

Biomass-derived carbon has been intensively investigated as conductive matrix for conversion and alloying-type anodes in batteries. In this work, SnO2 nanodots incorporated in wood flour-derived porous carbon (WFPC) are synthesized through a hydrothermal method combined carbonization treatment. As anodes in lithium-ion batteries, the fabricated SnO2/WFPC composites deliver a high initial reversible capacity of 1014.4 mAh g−1 at 156 mA g−1 and exhibit superior rate performance (370 mAh g−1 at 783 mA g−1) with capacity retention of 82% after 250 cycles. The improved electrochemical performance can be ascribed to the nanoconfined SnO2 particles embedded in porous conductive carbon with shortened Li+ diffusion length, easy access of electrolyte, and high mechanical integrity, suggesting an efficient way to design high performance electrode materials for batteries.