Electroless plating of a Sn-Ni/graphite sheet composite with improved cyclability as an anode material for lithium ion batteries.

A Sn-Ni/graphite sheet composite is synthesized by a simple electroless plating method as an anode material for lithium ion batteries (LIBs). The microstructure and electrochemical properties of the composite are characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and AC impedance spectroscopy. The results show that the as-prepared composite has Sn-Ni nanoparticles around 100 nm in size, where metallic Ni acts as an "anchor" to fix metallic Sn.