In situ synthesis of three-dimensional self-assembled metal oxide-reduced graphene oxide architecture

The fabrication of self-assembled, three-dimensional (3-D) graphene structures is recognized as a powerful technique for integrating various nanostructured building blocks into macroscopic materials. In this way, nanoscale properties can be harnessed to provide innovative functionalities of macroscopic devices with hierarchical microstructures. To this end, we report on the fabrication of a three-dimensional (3-D) metal oxide (MO)-reduced graphene oxide (RGO) architecture by controlling the reduction conditions of graphene oxide. In this structure, SnO₂ nanoparticles with dimensions of 2-3 nm are uniformly anchored and supported on a 3-D RGO structure. The resulting composite exhibits excellent rate capability as a binder-free electrode and shows great potential for use in Li-ion batteries. Furthermore, the proposed reduction synthesis can also be applied to the study of the synergetic properties of other 3-D MO-RGO architectures.