Integrated SnO2 nanorod array with polypyrrole coverage for high-rate and long-life lithium batteries.

Conversion/alloying reactions, in which more lithium ions are involved, are severely handicapped by the dramatic volume changes. A facile and versatile strategy has been developed for integrating the SnO2 nanorod array in the PPy nanofilm for providing a flexible confinement for anchoring each nanorod and maintaining the entire structural integrity and providing sustainable contact; therefore, exhibiting much more stable cycling stability (701 mA h g(-1) after 300 cycles) and better high-rate capability (512 mA h g(-1) at 3 A g(-1)) when compared with the core-shell SnO2-PPy NA.