Facile preparation of SnC₂O₄ nanowires for anode materials of a Li ion battery

A simple method of creating densely-packed nanostructures of functional metal oxides is attractive, but it has always been a challenge. Here, we synthesize well-distributed nanostructures of Sn complexes (SnC ₂O₄ and SnO₂) via a simple chemical anodization technique followed by annealing. Chemical anodization of Sn surface in oxalic acid, using various organic solvents, provides one-dimensional nanostructures of SnC₂O₄. Length and packing density were precisely controlled by several parameters: solubility of oxalic acid, dielectric constant of organic solvents, and the ion transfer of proton and oxalate anion. Further thermal decomposition converts the SnC₂O₄ nanowires into SnO₂ nanowires, maintaining the nanostructure form in the process. In addition, we expect that the mixture of SnC₂O₄ and SnO₂ nanowires synthesized by this approach might be potential alternative anode materials for prompt charging and discharging Li ion batteries.