Ultrasmall Sn Nanoparticles Embedded in Nitrogen-Doped Porous Carbon As High-Performance Anode for Lithium-Ion Batteries

In this Letter, we reported on the preparation and Li-ion battery anode application of ultrasmall Sn nanoparticles (∼5 nm) embedded in nitrogen-doped porous carbon network (denoted as 5-Sn/C). Pyrolysis of Sn(Salen) at 650 °C under Ar atmosphere was carried out to prepare N-doped porous 5-Sn/C with the BET specific surface area of 286.3 m(2) g(-1). The 5-Sn/C showed an initial discharge capacity of 1014 mAh g(-1) and a capacity retention of 722 mAh g(-1) after 200 cycles at the current density of 0.2 A g(-1). Furthermore, a reversible capacity of ∼480 mAh g(-1) was obtained at much higher current density of 5 A g(-1). The remarkable electrochemical performance of 5-Sn/C was attributed to the effective…