Fabrication of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube-Wrapped Ultrathin SnS2 Nanoplates and Their Superior Li-Ion Intercalation Performance

Two-dimensional ultrathin SnS₂ nanoplates enwrapped into a multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) network are synthesized by a facile and one-step hydrothermal method with SnCl2∙H2O and thiourea as reactants and sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate as surfactant. The highly dispersed carbon nanotubes in ethanol solution are found to reduce the thickness of SnS₂ nanoplates during their growth and embed them into an interconnected network finally. In lithium-ion battery studies, the electrode fabricated from the SnS₂ nanoplate/MWCNT hybrid material delivers excellent lithium-ion intercalation properties, with larger specific capacity, higher rate capability and better cycling stability than that of electrode made of bare SnS₂ nanoplates. The improved electrochemical performance is ascribed to a fact that this porous, hybrid architecture effectively accommodates the volume change of SnS₂ during charge–discharge to maintain structural stability, facilitates the easy access of electrolyte to the huge surface of nanoscale active materials, and also provides a continuous conductive network to significantly enhance the charge transfer kinetics at electrode.