ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Interfacial engineering of 2D SnO₂/rGO hybrid nanoarchitectures toward next-generation lithium-Ion batteries

Aliaa Abdelfatah, Abd Elhamid M. Abd Elhamid, Y. Reda, Ahmed M. Selim, Fatma M. Ahmed, R. Abdel-Karim, S. M. El-Raghy, and Lamiaa Z. Mohamed

Mining, Petroleum, and Metallurgical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt

E-mail: lamiaa.zaky@cu.edu.eg

Received: 8 August 2025  Accepted: 31 December 2025

Abstract:

Tin oxide and graphene nanocomposites were synthesized via a low-cost solution-based approach, followed by thermal annealing at 500 °C. The effect of precursor mass ratio and heat treatment on the structural, morphological, surface chemical, and electrochemical properties was analyzed and investigated. Different weight ratios of tin (II) chloride dihydrate to graphene oxide, namely 1:1 and 3:1, were studied. X-ray diffraction analysis illustrated that increasing the precursor ratio by applying thermal annealing significantly enhanced the crystallinity of tin oxide, particularly for the annealed composite prepared at the higher ratio. Morphological analysis using both field-emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy revealed enhanced dispersion and uniformity of tin oxide nanoparticles after annealing, and this was supported by particle size distribution analysis, resulting ina mean particle size of approximately 7.4 nm for the annealed composite. Furthermore, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the oxidation state of tin oxide and the reduction in oxygen-containing functional groups, which confirmed the reduction of graphene oxide. Raman spectroscopy was applied, resulting in enhanced graphitic ordering and stronger interaction between tin oxide and the 2D graphene structure. In addition, electrochemical characterizations using coin-type lithium-ion cells demonstrated improved charge transport characteristics and electrochemical performance for the annealed composite. These results confirmed the intensive role of precursor ratio and thermal treatment in improving the nanostructure, crystallinity, and interfacial stability, making these materials promising candidates for high-performance lithium-ion battery anodes.

Keywords: Nanocomposites; Reduced graphene oxide; Thermal annealing; Tin oxide; Morphology; Lithium-ion batteries

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-026-04644-5

Chemical Papers 80 (4) 3721–3734 (2026)