Nanocrystal Conversion-Assisted Design of Sn–Fe Alloy with a Core–Shell Structure as High-Performance Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries

[Image: see text] Sn-based alloy materials are strong candidates to replace graphitic carbon as the anode for the next generation lithium-ion batteries because of their much higher gravimetric and volumetric capacity. A series of nanosize Sn(y)Fe alloys derived from the chemical transformation of preformed Sn nanoparticles as templates have been synthesized and characterized. An optimized Sn(5)Fe/Sn(2)Fe anode with a core–shell structure delivered 541 mAh·g(–1) after 200 cycles at the C/2 rate, retaining close to 100% of the initial capacity. Its volumetric capacity is double that of commercial graphitic carbon. It also has an excellent rate performance, delivering 94.8, 84.3, 72.1, and 58.2% of the 0.1 C capacity (679.8 mAh/g) at 0.2, 0.5, 1 and 2 C, respectively. The capacity is recovered upon lowering the rate. The exceptional cycling/rate capability and higher gravimetric/volumetric capacity make the Sn(y)Fe alloy a potential candidate as the anode in lithium-ion batteries. The understanding of Sn(y)Fe alloys from this work also provides insight for designing other Sn–M (M = Co, Ni, Cu, Mn, etc.) system.