Gas pressure control of electric arc synthesis of composite Sn–SnO2–C nanomaterials

It was found that the variation of a buffer gas pressure in the reactor chamber can control the structure of the synthesized materials during electric arc sputtering of composite Sn–C electrodes. The gas dynamic model calculated by the direct simulation Monte Carlo method shows that the buffer gas pressure affects the local parameters of tin and carbon vapor condensation. As a result, Core-shell Sn–SnO₂ nanoparticles packed in a carbon matrix with various structural properties have been synthesized. It has been found that an increase in the buffer gas pressure leads both to an increase in the average size of the synthesized nanoparticles and to the formation of a more disordered structure of carbon. In turn, the tin and carbon structure affects the electrochemical characteristics of the synthesized Sn–C composite as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries.