Rechargeable magnesium batteries have received a considerable attention as one of the beyond-lithium batteries for next-generation energy storage systems. Magnesium is earth abundant and low cost compared to lithium, and has higher theoretical volumetric capacity (3833 mAhcm^-3) than lithium. The use of magnesium metal anode is often limited due to the irreversible formation of surface blocking layer in conventional electrolytes and the limited choice of counterpart cathode material in Grignard reagent-based electrolytes. Recently, insertion-type materials such as Bi, Sn, Sb, etc., which is based on the alloy reaction with magnesium, have been proposed as a new class of alternative anode materials to magnesium metal. Obtaining a good charge-discharge cycling performance of those new materials is however a challenge. We have been pursuing the development and application of tin-based anode materials, which enables magnesium-ion batteries. Herein, we report our recent research results of the electrochemical performance and interfacial phenomena of tin-based anode materials.

This work was supported by National Research Foundation of Korea (2015062107).