Abstract: The commercialization of SnO₂-based anode materials for lithium ion batteries (LIBs) has been hindered by the huge volume change and fast capacity fading. Ionic liquid (IL)-assisted strategy for the synthesis of SnO₂@IL-modified carbon nanotubes (SnO₂@IL–carbon nanotubes (CNTs)) hybrid nanostructure is proposed with the SnO₂ nanoparticles uniformly and strongly grafting on the CNTs. With low surface tension, IL as the solvent is beneficial to the dispersion of CNTs and the formation of small SnO₂ nanoparticles, thus improving the interface contact between SnO₂ and CNTs. Furthermore, the interface interaction can be also strengthened by IL-assisted interface modification, substantially facilitating the electron/ion transport in SnO₂ and meanwhile preventing its continuous volume change during lithiation. When used as the anode for LIBs, SnO₂@IL–CNTs achieve a high reversible capacity of 1438.1 mA·h·g^-1with an excellent cycling stability (800 cycles).

https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.201901916