Cycling performance and temperature stability of a tin-borate glass anode

The thermal stability and cycling performance for a new glass material, SnB₂O₄, of interest for use as anode material in Li-ion batteries, have been examined. Both the potential range and the electrolyte composition were varied to investigate their impact on the cycling stability. It was found that the SnB₂O₄ glass exhibits an upper charge limit of 0.8 V for good cycling stability. No such limit was found for the discharge potential. When cycled in the (0.01–0.8) V range, a capacity of around 530 mAh/g was achieved for at least 40 cycles. The cycling performance was almost unaffected by changes in the electrolyte composition. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements on the glass anode revealed a high thermal stability that exceeds that of graphite, regardless of the potential range or the specific electrolytes investigated.