Multi‐shelled Hollow Nanospheres of SnO 2 /Sn@TiO 2 @C Composite as High‐performance Anode for Lithium‐Ion Batteries

To overcome two main drawbacks of SnO 2 as anode material in lithium‐ion batteries, low conductivity and poor cycling stability, SnO 2 /Sn@TiO 2 @C composite is prepared via one‐pot hydrothermal reaction to synthesize SnO 2 /C precursor‐assembled hollow nanospheres and then coated with TiO 2 and resorcinol‐formaldehyde resin. After calcination, multi‐shelled hollow nanospheres of SnO 2 /Sn@TiO 2 @C are formed. When used as anode material in lithium‐ion batteries, the as‐prepared composite exhibits high discharge capacity of 1565 mAh g −1 at 0.5 A g −1 . After 300 cycles at 1 A g −1 , the discharge capacity still reaches 961 mAh g −1 with capacity fading rate of just 0.11 % per cycle. The average discharge capacity reaches 395 mAh g −1 even at 5 A g −1 . The superior lithium storage performance mainly benefits from the unique multi‐shelled hollow nanosphere structure. The coating TiO 2 and amorphous carbon increase structural and cycling stabilities of SnO 2 /Sn hollow nanospheres. The outermost carbon shell further enhances electronic conductivity of the composite. The hollow nanosphere structure also endows SnO 2 /Sn nanoparticles with high electrochemical activity. This work proposes a feasible synthesis and structure design strategy for the development of advanced SnO 2 ‐based composite materials.