Hollow Porous CoSnO Nanocubes Encapsulated in One-Dimensional N-Doped Carbon Nanofibers as Anode Material for High-Performance Lithium Storage.

CoSnO, as a high theoretical capacity electrode material (1235 mAh g) for lithium storage, has been limited due to its low rate performance, huge volume expansion, and an unstable solid electrolyte interface (SEI). A rational design of the material structure including carbon coating can effectively solve the problems. To buffer the volume change and achieve a superior rate capability, hollow CoSnO nanocubes encapsulated in 1D N-doped carbon nanofibers (CNFs) were fabricated by electrospinning, showing a final discharge capacity of 733 mAh g with a 96% capacity retention after 800 cycles at a current rate of 1 A g and a brilliant rate performance (49% capacity maintenance with the current variation from 0.1 to 5 A g). Absolutely, these outstanding characteristics are ascribed to the unique structure. The N-doped carbon fibers outside not only prevent the volume expansion during Li intercalation/extraction but also improve the electron transport in the electrode. Most significantly, the hollow structure offers enough vacant space to buffer the internal strain, while the porous structure shortens the Li diffusion distance. Combined with electrospinning technology, this study shares a novel idea for designing various composites with rational structures and outstanding electrochemical properties.