Dealloying-Derived Nanoporous Cu6Sn5 Alloy as Stable Anode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries

The volume expansion during Li ion insertion/extraction remains an obstacle for the application of Sn-based anode in lithium ion-batteries. Herein, the nanoporous (np) Cu6Sn5 alloy and Cu6Sn5/Sn composite were applied as a lithium-ion battery anode. The as-dealloyed np-Cu6Sn5 has an ultrafine ligament size of 40 nm and a high BET-specific area of 15.9 m2 g−1. The anode shows an initial discharge capacity as high as 1200 mA h g−1, and it remains a capacity of higher than 600 mA h g−1 for the initial five cycles at 0.1 A g−1. After 100 cycles, the anode maintains a stable capacity higher than 200 mA h g−1 for at least 350 cycles, with outstanding Coulombic efficiency. The ex situ XRD patterns reveal the reverse phase transformation between Cu6Sn5 and Li2CuSn. The Cu6Sn5/Sn composite presents a similar cycling performance with a slightly inferior rate performance compared to np-Cu6Sn5. The study demonstrates that dealloyed nanoporous Cu6Sn5 alloy could be a promising candidate for lithium-ion batteries.