Large-scale preparation of shape controlled SnO and improved capacitance for supercapacitors: from nanoclusters to square microplates

Abstract

Here, we first provide a facile ultrasonic-assisted synthesis of SnO using SnCl₂ and the organic solvent of ethanolamine (ETA). The moderate alkalinity of ETA and ultrasound play very important roles in the synthesis of SnO. After the hydrolysis of the intermediate of ETA–Sn(II), the as-synthesized SnO nanoclusters undergo assembly, amalgamation, and preferential growth to microplates in hydrothermal treatment. The as-synthesized SnO was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy (UV-vis) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). To explore its potential applications in energy storage, SnO was fabricated into a supercapacitor electrode and characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and galvanostatic charge–discharge measurements. The as-synthesized SnO exhibits remarkable pseudocapacitive activity including high specific capacitance (208.9 F g⁻¹ at 0.1 A g⁻¹), good rate capability (65.8 F g⁻¹ at 40 A g⁻¹), and excellent cycling stability (retention 119.3% after 10 000 cycles) for application in supercapacitors. The capacitive behavior of SnO with various crystal morphologies was observed by fitted EIS using an equivalent circuit. The novel synthetic route for SnO is a convenient and potential way to large-scale production of microplates which is expected to be applicable in the synthesis of other metal oxide nanoparticles.