Microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis of porous SnO2 nanotubes and their lithium ion storage properties

Porous SnO2 nanotubes have been synthesized by a rapid microwave-assisted hydrothermal process followed by annealing in air. The detailed morphological and structural studies indicate that the SnO2 tubes typically have diameters from 200 to 400 nm, lengths from 0.5 to 1.5 μm and wall thicknesses from 50 to 100 nm. The SnO2 nanotubes are self-assembled by interconnected nanocrystals with sizes ∼8 nm resulting in a specific surface area of ∼54 m2 g−1. The pristine SnO2 nanotubes are used to fabricate lithium half cells to evaluate their lithium ion storage properties. The porous SnO2 nanotubes are characteristic with high lithium ion storage capacity, that is found to be 1258, 951, 757, 603, 458, and 288 mAh g−1, at 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, and 4C, respectively. The enhanced electrochemical properties of the SnO2 nanotubes can be ascribed to their unique geometry and porous structures.